Roads

Driver behaviour adds to traffic jams

March 31, 2022 12:30 pm

The behaviour of drivers is one of the main causes of traffic jams between the Suva/Nausori corridor during peak hours.

The behaviour of drivers is one of the main causes of traffic jams between the Suva/Nausori corridor during peak hours.

The Fiji Roads Authority has completed a two-week time trial of traffic flow in the mornings and made two key findings.

Chief Executive Kamal Prasad says the sheer volume of vehicles travelling into Suva is part of the problem, but it’s made worse by drivers who disregard basic road rules.

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The FRA has found that motorists make traffic jams worse by blocking critical intersections along the Highway.

“When the light is on amber, everybody rushes to get into the intersection so once they are in and the other set of guys gets green, they are not able to move. They also follow through and come into the intersection. After maybe 15 minutes of that we have massive queues.”

Prasad says while the FRA will address the capacity issue in terms of accommodating the high number of vehicles on the road during peak hours, they also need to put in deterrents to control driver behaviour.

The FRA will now install red light cameras to catch drivers who block critical intersections and fines will be issued for infringements.

Prasad also says their end goal is to bring traffic jams to a manageable level.