Citizens swelter in gridlocks

LAHORE:

Traffic jams have become commonplace in the provincial capital, forcing commuters in several areas to spend long time on the roads in the ongoing hot weather.

While slow movement and congestion of vehicles is regularly noticed on the city’s major roads, traffic police are often found absent from the most affected spots.

The worst situation regarding traffic jams is witnessed on Jail Road, Mall Road, Ferozepur Road, Wahdat Road, Ichhra, Muslim Town Morr, Chauburji, Canal Road, Multan Road, Gulshan Ravi, Gulberg, Mughalpura, Garhi Shahu, Johar Town, Shahdara, Data Darbar and Anarkali.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, a regular commuter, Abdul Qayyum, said he was a resident of Johar Town and had to go to work daily by Maulana Shaukat Ali Road and Akbar Chowk. “Every time I pass the route, there is a traffic jam and no warden is visible to manage the flow.”

He alleged that the traffic wardens appeared more interested in imposing fine on the drivers than facilitating them on the roads. Many officials left their spots of duty after meeting their target of issuing challans over violations of traffic rules, he alleged.

A local resident said the wardens complete the number of challans to appease their seniors and spend the remaining time sit in nearby shops to avoid the heat, while the citizens have to cope with the traffic problems themselves.

Read Gridlock in metropolis distresses citizens

Another citizen, Ali Pervez, said he went to Gulberg for work. He said that for the past two months, he had never seen any warden trying to keep the traffic flowing. “Every warden you see is either issuing a challan or gossiping with someone in the shade of a tree. Ensuring the traffic flow is the prime responsibility of the traffic police, but the wardens appear to be more interested imposing fine on drivers.

Asad Ashraf, a resident of Model Town, said that in the past, traffic jams were seen in the city only during office hours but now they the citizens experienced them all the time. “It would be a miracle if one leaves his house and does you gets stuck in a traffic jam while travelling in the city. The main cause of traffic jams is incompetence and negligence of wardens and other officials.”

He said the senior officers of traffic police remained in their offices, while the personnel deputed on the roads spent time in front of shops and on the roadside.

Irfan, a resident of Harbanspura, said a restriction on the entry of heavy traffic into the city during the daytime appeared to have been lifted.

He said heavy traffic and tractor trolleys could be seen hampering traffic flow in the city at all times of the day.

When contacted, Senior Traffic Officer SP Asif Siddique said measures were being taken for improving the flow of traffic in Lahore.

There were about 12 spots in Lahore that could be termed trouble points with respect to traffic issues, the official said.

He said more wardens were deputed at the spots where the traffic load was heavier.

The superintendent of police said there was pressure of traffic at some points in the city on weekends and at at some others every evenings.

The traffic near the markets slows down in the evening every day and personnel are deployed there on a daily basis.

Replying to a question, Siddique said the temperature was high in the afternoon nowadays and the wardens had been told that if there was less traffic during the scorching heat, they could sit on chairs under a tree by the road. However, they had to remain near their duty spot and return to the road immediately if there was any disturbance in traffic flow.

He said work was under way on some projects in the city, due to which the load of traffic on other roads had increased.

Additional staff had been deployed on such routes and the patrolling system had also been improved, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 2^nd, 2021.