Majeedhee Magu experienced major traffic congestion last night, with a multitude of vehicles stuck in place, beeping their horns, unable to move an inch in any direction.
It was not only those on vehicles affected. Pedestrians were stuck on sidewalks, pushed right up against walls, unable to cross streets, some without space to exit shops and other premises located on the street.
Male' traffic is significantly becoming worse in recent times, but last night and today is seeing a marked increase in the amount of vehicle congestion.
With many couples and families out doing last minute Ramadan related shopping, the traffic situation has only worsened over these two days, especially worse in the market area and main commercial road, Majeedhee Magu, which extends straight from one end of Male' to the other.
Majeedhee Magu coming to a halt due to extremely heavy traffic last night also occurred during the hours when shops are open. Several photos and videos circulating on social media show that traffic police had made valiant efforts to control the traffic flow, but the challenge, with the high density in traffic, proved too much even for them.
Male' streets are becoming increasingly difficult to navigate with heavy traffic, reckless drivers, illegal parking and countless other factors coming in to play.
With people repeatedly voicing discontent regarding the inconveniences faced due to irregular parking habits that had become rampant, the government decided to resume issuing parking violation stickers and towing illegally parked vehicles last week. However, to date, no difference has been observed on the streets of Male' region.
While some applaud the resumption of traffic control measures, others question the justification of penalizing drivers for illegal parking when they are not provided sufficient parking spaces to begin with.
Some in society frame this as a failure of the executive, while others indicate that it demonstrates the lack of personal responsibility on the part of residents, especially those using vehicles.
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