Pothole-ridden road outside Amritsar bus stand leads to traffic chaos

Daily commuters and motorists are facing a lot of inconvenience due to worsening traffic congestion outside the city bus stand, where illegal parking of autorickshaws and badly damaged roads have turned a busy stretch into a bottleneck. Large potholes on the road have emerged as a major cause of traffic jams, forcing vehicles to move at a snail’s pace, adding to the chaos during peak hours.

The road outside the bus stand, which witnesses heavy movement of buses, private vehicles, autorickshaws and pedestrians throughout the day, has deteriorated significantly. Deep potholes and uneven surfaces slow down traffic as drivers are compelled to navigate cautiously to avoid damage to their vehicles. The situation worsens during mornings and evenings when buses arrive and depart frequently, leading to long queues of vehicles on both sides of the road.

Adding to the problem is the illegal parking of autorickshaws near the bus stand gates and along the roadsides. Many autorickshaw drivers park haphazardly to pick up passengers, occupying a large portion of the road and narrowing the carriageway. This leaves little space for other vehicles to pass, resulting in frequent traffic snarls.

Commuters allege that the traffic police presence in the area should be increased. “It sometimes takes 20 to 30 minutes just to cross this short stretch. The potholes and autos parked everywhere make driving extremely difficult,” said Balwant Singh, a daily commuter.

The problem is not limited to the bus stand area alone. Several other stretches across the city are also in poor condition, with damaged roads, broken patches posing risk to motorists and pedestrians alike. Residents have complained that despite repeated representations, permanent repairs have not been carried out.

“Poor road conditions not only disrupt traffic flow, but also increase the chances of accidents,” said another resident Sukhbir Singh. Residents have urged the municipal authorities to immediately repair the damaged roads and strictly enforce rules against illegal parking.

MC Commissioner Bikramjit Singh said that a survey of all roads which need repair was underway and all such stretches would be repaved. The official added that efforts were also being made to streamline traffic in the area by removing all bottlenecks.