Taken for a ride

OCT 17 -
Highways are meant for smooth and safe travel over long distances. The word “highway” brings to mind a wide road ranging from four to eight lanes, open spaces with farms on either side, vehicles moving smoothly at a certain constant speed and police patrols to provide highway security. But do we have the same sort of highways in Nepal? Obviously not! We are not among the rich countries. So it is understandable that we lack massive freeways but have to do with bumpy and winding roads as we live in a hilly region. But the transportation system has made travelling on highways really uncertain.

No one knows how long it might take you to reach Pokhara from Kathmandu, a distance of 200 km. It can be five hours or 15 hours. Who is to be blamed? The bus driver? The citizens? Or the government? Every time I get on a bus, there will be some one promising not to travel with this bus company the next time by the time the trip is half over. But they forget that all the buses are the same.

First, I blame the government which lacks a clear policy and vision. Second, I blame the bus management which is ready to stop the bus every time somebody on the roadside raises a hand. And finally I blame us citizens who are comfortably numb. It is we people who don’t give a damn when the vehicle breaks down. The driver gets enough time to rest while the local people wait for traffic jams to boost their business. We don’t look for specialised tickets. We seek discounts rather than quality service.

Let a group of people go to the ticket counter and demand quality service by paying more. Will they not be compelled to provide better service? Who cares about the capacity of the road? There are vehicles that carry more than the maximum permitted load, and the people don’t care that they are ruining the roads. There have been instances if highway protests when a chicken gets run over by a bus. And when it is clear that there is a likelihood of a traffic jam at Thankot, why don’t these buses move out from Kalanki an hour earlier?

Let me not forget to mention the expensive roadside food! I always enjoy travelling from Pathlaiya to Dhalkebar where there are forests on both sides with less disturbance, and the travel time is somewhat fixed. But there are other places where the journey is delayed, sometimes because of traffic jams, sometimes because the vehicle breaks down and usually because of the hand waving system. It is high time we acted to make travelling on Nepal’s highways less torturous.


PUBLISHED IN THE KATHMANDU POST OCTOBER 18TH
http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2011/10/17/oped/postplatform-taken-for-a-ride/227312.html