Scrap all the existing ideas and models and come up with new innovative and betters ones
KARACHI: The transport system in Karachi is deplorable to say the least. It seems as if the government or contractors build roads, bridges, underpasses and roundabouts just for the sake of it, without putting much design thought into it. For the past many years, the government seems to rely on just one solution when it comes to traffic jam; build an underpass and that will solve the problem.
However, the traffic then shifts from one specific area to another. The underpass itself is built without much thought. Rain, dust and garbage are not taken into account. Furthermore, there is no proper design that takes into account the situation as a whole. Due to this it so happens that only a few roads find relief while on others the situation remains the same; and in some cases even worsens. Contractors are just there for business and to make money. They are not aware with the current global trends and techniques in design. In Karachi, one infrastructure after another is being built on top of already existing ones.
The whole transport system has become chaotic and is takes commuters hours to reach home from their jobs. Traffic signals and u-turns are added in places that don’t make sense. An area that used to have traffic jams now has an underpass, a flyover, a roundabout, multiple signals, etc. What is the use of just dumping all these infrastructures together?
There needs to be a proper design thinking in order to come up with a more useful and efficient systems that will help curb the problem of traffic without relying on so much to build. Apart from that, the use of cheap materials to build all these transport facilities pays a huge price later on; but who cares. Roads are broken and cracks appear and all the government or the municipal authorities can do is fill it will gravel or sand, which is worse.
It is time to rethink the whole transport system of Karachi. Scrap all the existing ideas and models and come up with new innovative and betters ones. The government can work in one area at a time and slowly progress towards restructuring the entire network. A well-developed transport system will definitely help the city in the long run.
Shehroz Shahid
Published in The Express Tribune, January 27th, 2020.
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