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Mini side road at Sihanouk-Sothearos junction causes chaos
Much-needed signage on a new road at the eastern end of Independence Monument has been set up after it was shown the four-metre wide street was causing traffic confusion.
A 36-year-old tuktuk driver named Ra, who was travelling from the intersection of Samdech Sothearos boulevard and Preah Sihanouk boulevard, assumed the new road that used to be part of the park was another intersection to go around the Independence Monument.
The road had been built earlier this year.
Two police officers stationed at the intersection between Sothearos and Sihanouk boulevards explained the purpose of the additional road to Post Property.
One officer, who declined to give his name, said, “Actually this new road is for passengers along Sihanouk street or street 274, from the Independence Monument to the east, and they can turn left around this new roundabout to Soramret street or street 268 back to Independence Monument, without having to cross Sothearos street or street 3.”
Although the new road is designed to ease traffic congestion at the intersection, police officers and passengers alike have complained that the City Hall should have put up traffic signs much earlier on to avoid confusion.
Observations of the area over the past months include passengers driving on the opposite side of each other, causing multiple traffic collisions because of its narrowness.
To make matters worse, in the evening, people who exercise in the park tend to park their cars on the street, causing severe traffic congestions.
However, since early September, officers from City Hall have been seen putting up two traffic signs on the yet to be named road. The first sign is a No Parking warning, and the second sign is a road direction that forbids traffic flow from the north to the south.
The same officer added, “Generally, the City Hall has every right [to put up signs] and they never consult with the traffic police or traffic law practitioners. That’s why some areas experience perpetual traffic congestion, leading to the public getting mad at the traffic police instead.”
A City Hall spokesman would not comment on the helter-skelter situation of the road.
phnompenh post
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