Editor,
For the last two days, Meghalaya has been facing nature’s fury too with the onslaught brought by Cyclone Remal, leading to incessant rains. This forced authorities to close schools, colleges, and universities on May 28. While this provided relief to students, parents and educators, it left office-goers with no choice but to brave the weather – rains, and gusty winds and commute to work.
As I would do on any given day when it rains, I was compelled to use a car on May 28 due to the weather. I stay in Nongthymmai, a place famous for its traffic congestion, especially in the morning hours and it makes it difficult for me to commute by car which would take me an hour or even more to reach my workplace which is in Dhankheti. As such, I opt for a two-wheeler which makes it easier for me to reach work.
However, to my surprise, the usually clogged roads with heavy traffic jams were not so clogged, of course, cars were plying on the roads but the usual traffic jam that I would normally experience and witness every morning was missing, allowing me to reach my workplace in time.
This ease of travel led me to think and rather introspect. While it is easy to pinpoint fingers at the shortcomings of the government and concerned departments in addressing traffic issues, perhaps, it is also high time that we, as citizens, take a closer look at our own roles in adding to the congestion. The closure of schools, and subsequent absence of parents dropping their children to educational institutions, undoubtedly seems to play a significant role in alleviating traffic congestion.
It also begs the question: Could better utilisation of school buses such as STEMS, coupled with willingness from parents to embrace this mode of transport, contribute to a sustained reduction in morning traffic jams?? While I acknowledge the challenges parents face in entrusting their children to travel by school buses for a number of reasons, as I myself am a young woman too, it is worth considering the broader impact on traffic flow.
This letter is not a critique or criticism aimed at anybody, especially parents, but rather a gentle reminder that we all have our part to play in all aspects of governance including tackling traffic congestion. While government intervention and policies remain crucial and important, our individual choices also hold weight in shaping the traffic landscape of our State.
Cassandra K. Gatphoh
Nongthymmai, Shillong – 14
