Despite moving u-turn: Expressway remains constantly clogged

Influx of tourists, motorists on the road creates a challenge for Murree traffic police

ISLAMABAD: Traffic jams are fast becoming a permanent feature on the capital’s roads — particularly on the Islamabad Expressway, the main artery of the twin cities, where unruly heavy vehicles vie with each other to occupy the three-lane road after crossing the Koral Chowk.

In the afternoon, long queues of vehicles can be seen stretch for several kilometres, caught in the tangled maze of cargo and dump trucks.

Residents of different residential societies, who regularly shuttle between their homes and the city, complained that drivers of heavy vehicles utterly disregard traffic laws and blatantly violate lane rules. This, they bemoaned, had turned their daily drive home from work into a ride of misery.

"Hell breaks loose after nightfall when these slow-moving monsters, in an attempt to take the lead with each other, put lives of other motorists and motorbike riders at risk," complained Zeeshan Kamil, a resident of Pakistan Town said on Sunday, noting that heavy vehicles could be seen occupying all lanes from the Gulberg Housing Society up to the U-turn near Soan Garden Society.

Muhammad Aslam, a resident of Media Town, said that heavy vehicles frequently break down on this stretch of the highway. With the behemoths blocking a large part of the road, they further aggravate the situation.

Commuters added that the closure of a U-turn near the PWD Road entrance had, in fact, worsened the flow of heavy traffic.

The Islamabad Traffic Police had moved the U-turn and a traffic signal, thus depriving the residents of PWD, and other adjoining housing projects of a hassle-free access to their residential areas.

Residents were of the opinion that that regular traffic jams not only waste their time but also adds to the cost of their fuel which had risen to Rs99.50 on Sunday.

“The diversion lane is occupied by heavy vehicles and trucks, thus hampering the smooth flow of traffic," Azmat Abbasi, a resident of Police Foundation said.

Mujtaba Shah, a jittery businessman in PWD, said the move to relocate the U-turn did not yield result the desired results. Rather, it multiplied their woes.



Even officials of the Islamabad Traffic Police deployed on the road feel helpless when trying to organise heavy vehicular movement, he added.

An ITP officer, organising traffic flow near PWD, stated that the diversion was relocated to avoid traffic accidents and control vehicular movements. He added that the step was taken following direction from senior ITP officials.

He, however, could not explain why they had failed to ensure that heavy vehicles do not break the lane rules.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA), tasked with the expansion and construction of Islamabad Highway from Faizabad to Rawat, has been urged by residents to immediately make arrangements for re-opening the U-turn in front of PWD’s entrance, besides installing a pedestrian bridge, proper signals and fixing of cats eyes to ensure smooth flow of traffic.



Regulating holiday traffic

Meanwhile, the Murree Traffic Police has urged summer tourists to strictly follow traffic rules to solve the congestion issues in the narrow streets of the hill station.

A traffic police official said that they had devised a comprehensive traffic plan to ensure a smooth flow of traffic during rush hour on the roads of the busiest tourist resorts.

Moreover, traffic kiosks have also been set up at various points to brief tourists about road safety, while entry of heavy vehicles has been banned during the day. Traffic Police Officials were distributing pamphlets amongst motorists to create awareness about traffic rules, he added. “Tourists are prohibited to park their vehicles at GPO Chowk while five roads of the hill station, including Fouth, Hall, Bank, Guldana and Imtiaz Shaheed Roads would be used as one-way roads," said a traffic warden.

Traffic heading to Kashmir would be allowed to go through, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 2^nd, 2018.