RAWALPINDI:
Annoyed residents of the garrison city have once again called on the city traffic police (CTP) to punish traffic law violators and do the needful to have roadside stalls removed, complaining that a chaotic traffic situation has become a routine feature of Rawalpindi.
What makes the situation worse is the callous, or rather criminal, attitude of motorists and motorcyclists who park their vehicles at no-parking zones and don’t shy away from double-parking, at times almost in the middle of the road, in commercial areas of the city, the residents maintained.
Illegal and wrong parking coupled with encroachments on footpaths and roadsides not only affect the smooth movement of pedestrians but also aggravate the traffic situation in all business hubs of the city and the cantonment.
Though the city traffic police and civic authorities have claimed multiple times to have been carrying out operations against the encroachers and to clear several areas, no permanent solution to the problem has been applied so far.
The situation is particularly worse in Raja Bazaar, Bohar Bazar, Banni Chowk, Circular Road, Murree Road, Pindora Road, Tench Bhatta, Sarafa Bazaar, Mochi Bazaar, City Saddar Road, Gawalmandi, Sadiqabad and Satellite Town areas. In almost all commercial areas of the city, the shopkeepers showcase their items on the footpath, creating problems for the pedestrians.
A large portion of footpaths and streets are occupied by the vendors, forcing pedestrians to leave footpaths and put their lives in danger by walking on roads
A shopkeeper in Raja Bazar, Shafiq while talking to APP said the vendors occupy footpaths and roads, violating the orders of the administration. He said most of the traders park their vehicles in front of their shops in violation of traffic rules, thus causing traffic congestion.
“The administration should remove all the encroachments from commercial areas of the town to facilitate the pedestrians and streamlining the traffic flow,” said a private citizen named Altaf.
A resident of Banni Chowk, Ammar said illegal and wrong parking had become a big problem for the city.
“Traffic wardens are found absent from duty points and others make half-hearted efforts to regulate traffic, inadequate enforcement of the no-parking rules and parking space problem with encroachments have led to the traffic mess problem which is getting worse day by day,” he added.
“The authorities should play their effective role to remove encroachments from the roads which will help ensure smooth flow of traffic,” the residents urged.
According to a CTP spokesman, teams on the directives of CTO Rawalpindi Rai Mazhar Iqbal had been constituted to lift vehicles for the parking rules violations.
He urged the motorists to avoid parking their vehicles in no-parking areas as well as on roadsides that lead to traffic jam and thus create problems for the public.
“The citizens should follow traffic laws to avoid road accidents and traffic mess on city roads,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 5th, 2021.
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