The Editor,
The lack of effective traffic control in Phnom Penh
discourages tourists and business from coming here.
Unfortunately it
takes resources, resolve and honest authority to solve the problem. But there
are many solutions or combinations of solutions.
The task will be
difficult and extremely large at first, but over time as people are re-educated
to proper and safe driving habits, the job will become routine and easy. The
benefits to life and commerce will far outweigh the costs.
- A traffic control engineer should determine the normal flow of traffic for
all the city and designate through streets, stop streets and one-way or
limited-access streets as appropriate.
- Police must control as many intersections as resources will allow until
automated traffic lights can be installed. These officers can not be sitting in
the shade of trees but out in the intersection directing the traffic.
- Traffic should move in turns: i.e., all through traffic first, then left
turns. Cross-street traffic must not move until signaled to do so by the
police.
- Create separate lanes for motos, cyclos and cars.
- A completely secure impound lot could be established and a rigorous program
of impounding vehicles of those people who blatantly disobey traffic rules
should then commence. Vehicles would be held 24 hours or earlier upon payment of
a fine. No-one should be able to bribe the officers to not enforce the law. The
news of this impound program should be widely publicized to discourage unlawful
driving.
- Everyone driving any kind of vehicle should have to study traffic rules and
pass an examination. After passing the test the driver will receive a small
certificate. People just learning to drive must pass this exam along with their
driver's license. All licensed drivers will have up to one year to pass the exam
from the start of the program.
- Pedestrian walk bridges should be constructed across major intersections and
close by large schools.
- Manually operated traffic gates could be used to block traffic at
intersections to eliminate grid-lock.
- It will not take long for people to learn the lesson of obeying rules. Once
the authority of the police is established the authorities will encounter less
and less offenders.
The people will actually find that they reach their destinations more quickly
and without accident or tragedy.
- Carole Garrison, PhD. Professor of Criminal Justice, University of
Akron, USA.
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