Notwithstanding the easing of prohibitory orders in the Kathmandu Valley, it is quite evident that, at least in the short term, physical distancing has continued to be the norm.

The public transport in Kathmandu truly indicates that physical distancing will still pose a significant challenge with public transport likely to be negatively impacted.

In fact, since mobility perpetually links to the future of Kathmandu Valley, it is a matter of everyday public concern to more than 3 million Kathmanduites navigating on a regular basis.

However, it has remained in the shadows of the coronavirus pandemic — since its outbreak in late 2019.

Transportation has been a major hassle in Kathmandu for the past decade and the worry is — it will continue to remain so even in a post-pandemic era.

The pandemic has obviously been one of the abrupt shocks to the country. Moreover, since the situation has been so unprecedented, the impact on the mobility sector has been quite common.

The capital city, meanwhile, has already started to face a modest level of congestion in terms of transportation even as the prohibitory order is in effect.

The coronavirus pandemic, to a greater extent, has kept yet many private and public vehicles off the streets – a momentary relief — but authorities and city-dwellers ought to rationalize that eventually as the pandemic will subside, the issues related to mobility will start to crop up in this growing metropolis.

Linking service lanes to the main road without the turn-taking traffic disrupting the core traffic is inevitable to improve public and vehicular mobility here. A quick note, the availability of overhead bridges for jaywalkers is also limited to a handful in the city.

Bearing the increasing activities and population in mind, there has to be a full support system to ensure growth to the fullest and sustaining it thereafter.

Some quick fix easing has been felt in terms of mobility given some expansion of city roads, many thanks to city authorities. However, Kathmandu needs long-term, sustainable solutions rather than myopic, quick fixes. The city obviously needs mass transit systems to move people around (if it wants to grow) rather than relying on privately owned, low capacity and unsustainable model of public transportation.

The demand for public transportation is ever-growing in this vibrant city. The hassles in the public transportation system, including steadily rising fares, are pushing the population to opt for private vehicles in the face of limited and narrow road networks.

The high traffic capacity roads in Kathmandu Valley are countable: two for the time being: Japan-built six-lane Suryabinayak-Koteshwor section and China-built 10-lane Koteshwor-Satdobato-Kalanki stretch.

These two large road projects definitely introduced and displayed their high-volume traffic capacity, but with hindsight, also provided insights into a lag in terms of addressing one specific local mobility need in the city.

It is to be noted that Kathmandu is a small valley of only around 600 square kilometers and the dwellers here need to take right and left turns every other kilometer, every other minute.

The fringe traffic taking right and left turns at numerous junctions in the city is hindering the smooth flow of mainstream traffic going straight or coming straight from the opposite direction. This might seem like a trivial matter but redressal to this particular local need will significantly improve mobility in the city.

The addition of traffic lights, every few kilometers, only adds to the wait times and commute burden of dwellers in the city, and isn’t perhaps the best way to go about it in the long run.

Linking service lanes to the main road without the turn-taking traffic disrupting the core traffic is inevitable to improve public and vehicular mobility here. A quick note, the availability of overhead bridges for jaywalkers is also limited to a handful in the city.

Perhaps, the city roads need more tunnels, as evident by Kalanki and Naghdhunga tunnels, and overhead crossings to help overcome the existing disruptions related to dense traffic. The same could also help Kathmandu to emerge as a city with a systematic public transportation system, even if mass transit systems are impossible to conceive in near future.

Another elephant in the room in the mix of things here is also the pace of accomplishing construction tasks in Nepal. Delaying construction works is turning to sort of a local norm to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the public plight, brooding, and grievance. Even foreigners, not just truant local contractors in the country, are widely embracing the same local norm.

No wonder, the expansion of Ring Road’s Kalanki-Maharajgunj-Chabahil-Koteshwor stretch is yet to begin even as three years are about to pass since the other stretch of the Ring Road became operational. Shanghai Construction took five years to complete the first phase of the China-funded road expansion project that began in June 2013 at the cost of 5.13 billion rupees.

Irony or prowess — choose your bit, but the entire Ring Road is just 30 kilometers. The Chinese government let Shanghai Construction take five years to complete 15-km of road expansion in the capital of Nepal. I wonder if the case would have been in China.

The government is certainly already addressing so many issues, true! But may lessons from hindsight, sustainable vision and efficiency grace the government machinery, authorities, stakeholders and the public alike.

Nevertheless, the authorities and public here would not know anything besides their many newer and newer plights, including aggravated mobility issues.

If the memory of the public is fresh, one should recall that traversing the city could take from an hour to two, or more, before COVID-19 hit us.

The congestion of vehicles was extremely saturated and the population on their public or private conveyances, even those on foot, went through energy-draining physical and psychological stress just to commute. The experience could be vivid in the public memory.

During the time, traffic personnel manually directed traffic and often used to be under immense psychological pressure while trying to keep a growing city moving. It would not come as a surprise if traffic cops share their days, or even weeks, of nervous breakdowns they underwent in private life due to the work they did during the time.

Mobility consumes a significant portion of the population’s time and energy when the government and authorities lack a master plan to address this burning issue.

The government is certainly already addressing so many issues, true! But may lessons from hindsight, sustainable vision and efficiency grace the government machinery, authorities, stakeholders and the public alike.

The challenges related to mobility in the capital and country are likely to increase in the future as the tunnel project in Thankot and the Kathmandu-Hetauda Expressway, among others, are completed. Full-fledged vehicular operation on these upcoming routes means an increased flow of provincial and national traffic coming into Kathmandu Valley, which already is struggling to keep the core city traffic moving.

The coronavirus pandemic, for as long as it will continue, certainly has provided some respite to city dwellers from everyday commute stress.