Nikhil Aiyush Kumar 
The increasing number of vehicles on Fiji’s roads is worsening traffic congestion, with police warning that road infrastructure is struggling to keep up with rising demand.
Police Chief of Operations Kasiano Vusonilawe says that while traffic officers are deployed during peak hours to manage the flow of vehicles, congestion continues to build as more vehicles are added to the roads each month.
He said the road network has remained largely the same while vehicle ownership continues to grow.
ACP Kasiano Vusonilawe says that the steady rise in vehicle numbers is one of the biggest challenges faced by traffic officers trying to manage congestion, particularly during peak commuting hours.
“But the purchase of vehicles increases by month by months. Okay, months by months the purchase of vehicle increases.”
He says that traffic officers alone cannot resolve the congestion problem as the number of vehicles continues to rise each year.
Land Transport Chief Executive Irimaia Rokosawa is seeking independence to improve services.
“And again, humbly plead with the stakeholders, there’s a need for Land Transport Authority’s independence. Similar to our counterparts in New Zealand and Australia, to ensure that we reinvest into the authority because the general public want the standard of service, demand that the standard of service to be always accorded by the Land Transport Authority to be provided by the Land Transport Authority.”
Despite the challenges, Vusonilawe said there are sufficient officers to manage traffic operations, but police must also balance their deployment with other policing responsibilities across the country.
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