Several proposals have been sent to the State administration for improvement of traffic system in the provisional State capital but the State administration seems to be sitting on such proposals. Police sources said that the numbers of private vehicles in the city are increasing on the roads and Dehradun (Mussoorie) also being a tourist attraction, thousands of vehicles are reaching the city daily but infrastructure for improving traffic system like widening of roads, installation of signals, manpower, barricading, radar guns, alcometres among others has not been strengthened in the city. Encroachment on roads by shopkeepers and vendors as well as limited parking of vehicles in hotels and commercial establishments is adding to traffic congestion in the provisional State capital. To improve traffic system in Dehradun and other parts of the State, a traffic directorate was set up by the State administration at police headquarters but it lacks manpower, infrastructure and equipment. Police sources said that proposals for strengthening traffic related infrastructure have been sent to administration through police headquarters but no progress has been made in this regard at the state administration level.
According to police department official, around 150 male traffic police, 15 women traffic police, 25 traffic head constables and five traffic sub-inspectors have been deployed in the city to regulate the traffic system. The Institute of Road Traffic Education team which had recently conducted a survey in the State capital and Mussoorie about measures needed to improve traffic system had also prepared a report regarding the same. Sources revealed that the report calls for increasing the manpower in the form of traffic police. About 5,00 traffic police personnel should be deployed in different shifts (morning, noon and evening) at various crossings in the city to regulate the traffic system in Dehradun. There are only two radar guns to check speed of vehicles and 10 alcometers which are not sufficient for the population of 10 lakh in Dehradun city. Traffic congestion has become a frequent feature of locations like ISBT, Niranjanpur Mandi, Saharanpur Chowk, Survey Chowk, Railway station road, Prince Chowk, Haridwar Road, Darshan lal Chowk, Tehsil Chowk, Chakrata Road, Dilaram Chowk, Dharmpur and other localities.
Meanwhile, the police have taken some initiatives at their level to facilitate parking space for vehicles near important places like Clock Tower and commercial establishments.
In addition to this, an awareness campaign was launched in schools and colleges to educate the students about the importane of following traffic rules to improve the traffic system in the city. Observers opined that though such measures taken by the police help improve the situation a bit, the desired level of improvement cannot be achieved without all round enhancement of resources available and in use for regulating the traffic in Dehradun.