As transporters start moving, city comes to a halt

Traffic police spokesperson says it may take a few days for vehicular flow to return to normal

KARACHI: Traffic jams across the city stalled thousands of private and public vehicles on Wednesday, as goods transporters returned to work for the second day after their strike was called off.

Students, teachers and workers were late to arrive at their destinations in the morning, while the situation remained the same in the evening. Several vehicles ran out of fuel as they idled in the traffic as well.

The cause of the gridlock was a long queue of container-laden trucks, moving slowly from Native Jetty Bridge towards Karachi Port Trust. From SITE to Shershah, Gulbai to Hawkes Bay, commuters heading to the old city area found themselves stuck on the main roads as well as narrow streets and service lanes for hours.

Saddar, II Chundrigar Road and adjacent thoroughfares were affected as well, with the traffic ultimately spilling over to Sharae Faisal. Motorcycles and cars turned to thickly populated areas, such as Lyari, to escape the traffic, thus creating similar jams there.

‘Poor road engineering behind traffic congestion, accidents’

According to a traffic police spokesperson, goods transporters in the city who had previously switched off their vehicles were now resuming their regular activities all at the same time. He added that the heavy vehicles, which had been parked at the ports during the strike, had now entered the city, resulting in the traffic jam.

He said that the snarl of traffic was expected to continue for a few more days as the transporters went back to their routine, adding that the traffic police department was trying its best to control the situation.

Meanwhile, commuters trapped in the congestion complained that the government should set specific timings for the trucks to use the main roads. They claimed that although traffic police officials had been present at various points, the constables were still unable to deal with the vehicles.

"The authorities already had an idea about the situation," said a passenger stuck at Mauripur Road. "They should have planned alternative routes for citizens and informed us," he grumbled, adding that he had not been aware of the congestion when he left home.

Doctors’ protests cause traffic jam in city

Others who remained trapped in the gridlock suggested that the authorities should ask the trucks to travel in a single lane, so that citizens could easily reach their destinations.

The goods transporters had started a country-wide strike on January 6, demanding the enforcement of laws, especially the axle load law, which was enacted in 2002 and implemented in 2014. They had provided a 10-point agenda in support of their demands.

During a meeting with Sindh Governor Imran Ismail on Monday, the government agreed to their demands and the strike was called off. However, the eight-day protest had severely affected the national economy, causing losses worth Rs144 billion.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 16^th, 2020.