17 January 2019
“Traffic congestion is a growing issue in many countries around the world. It is sometimes even considered an indicator of a growing economy. With my business, I aim to mitigate the effects of traffic congestion by providing specialist traffic-related services”.
These were the words of twenty-nine-year-old Krishneel Chand who is a recipient of the Fijian Government’s Young Entrepreneurship Scheme or YES.
With the support of YES, Mr Chand has started a consulting firm, Traffic Essentials Fiji, that will sub-contract and specialise in traffic data collection, analysis and providing traffic-related survey services. Specialised services also include speed surveys, travel time survey, queue and traffic back up survey and pedestrian and bicycle survey.
In today’s global economy, innovation is not limited to only creating new products in the marketplace. It is about identifying issues and developing possible solutions, which YES strongly encourages. Fueled with determination to minimise traffic problems in Fiji at a young age, Traffic Essentials Fiji is seen to be a positive step towards improving availability of reliable data in Fiji.
The Minister for Industry, Trade, Tourism, Local Government, Housing and Community Development, Hon. Premila Kumar, commended Mr Chand’s efforts to contribute to an issue affecting many Fijians.
“Since the inception of YES, more young Fijians are recognising the need to be innovative in order to adapt and continuously improve products and services. Mr Chand identified an issue and developed a solution, based on his assessment on gaps in the market. This is the kind of creative thinking we want to encourage amongst our youth”, said Hon. Kumar.
Mr Chand’s business therefore intends to provide road and transport authorities with accurate information to plan road upgrades, construction and maintenance work to cater for actual load on the road itself with a clear forecast of futuristic demand in the design of road. This will ensure that even after few years of road construction, traffic congestion will not be an issue as this will accurately be compensated for in the design phase.
Transportation authorities could also potentially use Mr Chand’s services to better distribute public transportation as per public demand. Mr Chand further intends to use a software for traffic simulation is also capable of determining the cost, energy and air pollution implications of intersection design.
Potential clients for this consulting firm include Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) Consultants, Engineers, Developers, Architects and relevant transport and road authorities. Data could be utilised to seek approval from relevant local authorities for all types of developments including residential, commercial and industrial.
“With my business, I can provide more accurate traffic data using automated traffic counter equipment for most of our traffic data collection projects. This is a critical component of Traffic Impact Assessment for all commercial building developments”, said Mr Chand.
Mr Chand has received the first tranche of funding under YES for the purchase of equipment for his project.
“The Fijian Government believes in its young people and I thank the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism for facilitating the Young Entrepreneurship Scheme. I also thank my family and friends for their continuous support”, added Mr Chand.
For more information, please contact:
Ms. Fulori Turaga Executive Officer Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism Phone: + (679) 330 5411 Email: fulori.turaga@gmail.com