Margao-Panaji, a two-hour painful ride

PANAJI: Commuters spent the last few hours of the last Sunday of the year stuck in traffic jams on either side of Zuari bridge and took to social media to vent their frustration.
Many motorists took up to an hour to get through the Verna-Agasaim bottleneck, turning the 32km stretch from Margao to Panaji into a two-hour long and painful journey.
Very few traffic police were seen managing vehicular movement along the route.At times, police were seen managing traffic flow, while at other times they were mute spectators, while motorists created additional lanes, adding to the problem.
It took Sergio Martires two hours to travel from Panaji to Margao on Sunday. Vehicles were trying to fit into every inch of available space and make more lanes that only added to the problem, he said.
Bikers, and even a minister, apparently in no mood to waste time in a traffic jam, were seen taking privileges of proceeding in the opposite lane against oncoming traffic, thus putting lives at risk.
Keith D’Souza spent an hour covering the 7km distance between Verna and Agacaim bypass on Sunday afternoon. There needs to be better communication between traffic police, he said. Joel Cordeiro, a frequent traveller on the route, suggests that heavy vehicles, including interstate buses, be diverted through Ponda to ease the flow of traffic along Cortalim.
A minor accident at Siridao also added to the chaos, resulting in vehicles lined up till Goa Medical College.