The distressing case of the Akkayyapalem road in Vizag

Unruly pedestrians, haphazard two-wheeler driving, reckless autorickshaw drivers, overcrowded buses, and the omnipresent street vendors, all rammed onto the congested road stretching from Maharani Parlour to the Erukumamba temple traffic signal, have thrown Akkayyapalem in Vizag into a total disarray. To make matters worse, the area is loaded with an umpteen number of commercial complexes and shops that have no parking spaces attached thereby making the vehicles occupy a considerable amount of space for parking on the streets.

“Ten years ago, the Akkayyapalem road wasn’t this crammed for space at all. The vehicular density has increased by manifold in the past few years and to drive here has become really frustrating. Also, a thin lane accommodating the two-way flow of vehicles is the last thing we could ask for here,” shares Sri Charan, a resident of the city since 2007.

The situation gets out of hand in the evening hours, especially after 6 p.m. “Every evening, I come to the gym in the locality. It’s a challenging task to find a viable parking space for my bike around. The current scenario of traffic congestion in Akkayyapalem demands a proficient driver to maneuver the vehicle skillfully and patiently,” says Sampath Varma.

While the situation can’t be brought into control immediately, a few basic measures can ensure that it could certainly be bettered gradually. Firstly, as is the case elsewhere in Vizag, following the fundamental traffic regulations would help a great deal in serving the cause. The autorickshaws need to follow the basic road-driving etiquette and refrain from halting abruptly in search of passengers. The street vendors too, ideally, need to be allocated a dedicated space to free up space and make life easier while driving through the lanes of this popular area in Vizag.