The Punjab government’s decision to impose stringent fines for traffic violations is welcome news.
LAHORE: The Punjab government’s decision to impose stringent fines for traffic violations is welcome news. This is because Lahore’s roads have become a lawless jungle, thanks to the inability of the traffic wardens to catch those who violate the rules. Motorcyclists need to be reined in the most, because they are the worst violators of traffic rules. One of their nasty habits is to snake through the cars standing stationary at a red light, just to get ahead by a few metres.
As a result, they often cause damage to cars and a motorist cannot do much about this, other than curse the motorcyclist. The rate of fines announced is still low and should be raised if they are to be an effective deterrent. I would suggest a minimum fine of Rs1,000 for any violation for motorists and Rs500 for motorcyclists.
Mehran Leghari
Published in The Express Tribune, September 13th, 2011.
