Cuttack, Aug. 12: Lack of initiatives on part of the traffic police to streamline rush on the busy SCB Medical Road at Mangalabag is causing inconvenience to hundreds of commuters here.

They have pushed for either a one-way traffic system or restriction on the entry of autorickshaws during peak hours on this busy road.

“Deployment of traffic constables cannot solve all the problems here,” said Khirod Sahu, a commuter.

Sahu said the police should introduce the one-way traffic system here after consultation with local residents and other government departments to ensure that hundreds of patients visiting SCB Medical College and Hospital do not suffer because of regular traffic congestion. Many ambulances get stuck in the traffic here.

Some commuters and local residents also said that vehicles, including autorickshaws ferrying patients from Ranihat, Thoria Sahi and Nuapatna, should be allowed to move directly towards SCB without any diversion.

They said only autorickshaws and four-wheelers from the Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre and the SCB sides should be diverted towards engineering college or Ring Road to travel to Ranihat, railway station and other areas, including the Mangalabag Main Road.

Similarly, no restrictions should be clamped on two-wheelers travelling from SCB side towards Mangalabag, Ranihat and Nuapatna.

Lack of parking provision and an ongoing drain renovation work has also added to the traffic chaos.

“There are over 100 diagnostic centres at Mangalabag. But, a lot of people visiting such centres park their vehicles on the road because of the lack of parking facilities. This obstructs the smooth flow of traffic,” said Jay Pradhan, a commuter.

Pradhan said the local autorickshaw stand should also be shifted near the proposed vending zone to decongest the SCB Medical Road.

Traffic officials blamed lack of parking provisions and mushrooming diagnostic centres for the chaos at Mangalabag.

“At present, we do not have any proposal to introduce the one-way system at SCB Medical Road. But Cuttack Municipal Corporation should create some parking lots, which would help ease traffic congestion here,” said a traffic official.

Local councillor Pabitra Bhuyan said there was a proposal for creating a parking space, which was likely to be finalised after the ongoing drain renovation work.