KARACHI:
In Pakistan, all major cities suffer from poor traffic conditions and infrastructure. It often seems that the government itself is not fully capable of implementing the rules and regulations they have created to alleviate the deplorable traffic conditions. In most areas, there are no crosswalks or roundabouts and even where they do exist they serve little purpose.
Drivers and motorists blatantly ignore pedestrian walks, speed limits and traffic signals, threatening not just their own lives but of others as well. Most motorcyclists do not wear helmets and are intruding from everywhere. This situation is further worsened by other vehicles such as horse carts, rickshaws, etc, which not only take up space on the road but also cause disruptions to the flow of traffic.
The government should impose strict action against those found violating traffic rules. Separate lanes should be designated for different types of vehicles. Automated cameras and surveillance systems should be placed to detect traffic violations because law enforcement alone is not enough to resolve this problem. More importantly, the government should work on an effective public transport system so that other transport means crowding the roads can be outlawed.
Majid Hussain
Islamabad
Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2022.
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