Amresh Parab
Panaji
More than half of Goa’s persistent traffic bottlenecks are concentrated within the jurisdictions of Margao and Panaji, according to a recent assessment by the Goa traffic police.
Identifying 26 critical stretches and junctions statewide, officials noted that 11 of these chokepoints are located in Margao municipality alone, while three are situated in the capital city of Panaji.
Congestion peaks primarily during the morning rush from 9 am to 10:30 am and the evening commute between 5:30 pm and 8 pm, with school-related traffic significantly impacting flow in Ponda and Margao.
Following Margao, Curchorem was identified as a major concern with seven congestion points. In Margao, the 11 identified locations include the Loyola School Junction, Mahila Nutan School Junction (Comba), Damodar School-Railway Gate Junction (Comba), Fatima School (BSNL Junction), Gomantak Vidhya Niketan Junction, area in front of the District Police Headquarters, Goa Palace and Navelim Junctions, Arlem Junction, Bolshe Circle, Munj Vihar Junction and Agalli Junction.
In Curchorem, bottlenecks persist near the Old SBI, Rohini Junction, Prashant Theatre, HDFC, GSUDA Market, Sarvodaya School and Pontemol Junction.
Other identified hotspots include the Sanguem market, Peddem Junction in Mapusa, Divja Circle, KTC Bus Stand and Merces Junction in Panaji and three key stretches in Ponda: Almeida School Junction to Menino, Goa Bagayatdar Bazar to Sangam Bakery, and the ‘T’ to ‘Y’ Junction in Upper Bazar.
To mitigate this gridlock, police have rolled out comprehensive regulation plans and infrastructure interventions. In Margao, the district administration has initiated the removal of scrap vehicles from the old bus stand and re-organised hand carts to reclaim parking space. Further measures include notified one-way routes during school hours, staggered school timings and temporary parking zones near the Margao police canteen.
Beyond structural changes, adequate personnel have been deployed to these critical junctions to ensure discipline, focusing on the removal of encroachments, regulation of roadside parking and strict action against illegal parking and wrong-side driving to ensure smoother vehicular movement across the state’s busiest hubs.
