BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
Traffic congestion in West Honiara is on another level since yesterday.
Bad traffic has been the theme of West Honiara highway, which is currently under upgrade since 2023.
This week, drivers say the traffic got worse.
Reports reaching Island Sun yesterday from drivers who were stuck in the queue said the traffic tail is at Rifle Range Junction and the head, at Telekom roundabout in Point Cruz.
Over the past weeks, public transport such as taxis and buses have ignored travelling on western end of the city all because of the troubling traffic congestion.
“We are willing to provide service to West Honiara- White River, but if we are stuck in that queue, that is a problem. We do not work for ourselves, we work for someone, a boss, so when we lose, we are also fired at the end of the day,” said one bus driver.
Earlier this year, Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID) identified the ongoing road construction as the main issue contributing to the traffic congestion in West Honiara.
MID released a statement in response to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (SICCI) concerns regarding road congestion and the impact it’s having on businesses, particularly those within Honiara.
MID mentioned that ongoing infrastructure projects are the Solomon Water Sewer Line Installation Project and the Land and Maritime Connectivity Project (LMCP).
Meanwhile, the Police Kukum traffic have confirmed to Island Sun yesterday that they received calls from vehicles that were stuck in the traffic, however couldn’t respond due to having other commitments.
“We received calls from vehicles in the queue,” said an on-duty officer.
“Our traffic officers usually go out to control the traffic, but we do not focus on one particular area since we have schedules. However, we understand the issue faced by commuters and drivers,” the police officer said.
The officer said police traffic officers understand the matter and will take into consideration acting upon it in the coming days.
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