Our Ego Is Blocking the Road

Kashmir's growing traffic crisis is wasting our time and testing our patience. Smarter systems and kinder driving can turn the road into a shared space again.

- Saad Parvez

I often leave home early, hoping traffic will be kind. It rarely is.

The roads feel like an endless test of patience. Vehicles crawl, horns rise, and tempers flare.

I look around and see the same frustration on every face. A 10-minute trip becomes a half-hour. Students reach school late. Professionals miss meetings. Families reach the airport with anxiety instead of excitement. Even ambulances wait in lines like ordinary cars. It feels unfair and exhausting.

Kashmir has seen a huge jump in vehicles in the past decade. Srinagar's narrow roads carry more cars than they were ever designed for. Every new day adds more wheels to streets already stretched thin.

Cars, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and commercial carriers all demand space that does not exist.

Sometimes I think of traffic like fluid. When water flows through a clear pipe, it moves smoothly. One small object disrupts the flow and the turbulence spreads.

Our traffic behaves the same way. One sudden brake or careless stop triggers a ripple that slows hundreds of vehicles behind. Even a distraction like rolling down the window to chat with a friend can turn a smooth line into a dead stop.

People hope new flyovers and wider roads will solve everything. Infrastructure helps. It also costs time, land, and huge money. But the deeper issue sits in the driver's seat.