Lack of parking space causes traffic snarls

Work on three parking plazas in doldrums for three years

RAWALPINDI:

Inadequate parking arrangements, an increasing number of vehicles coupled with illegal parking, is causing recurring traffic jams for hours on main roads across the city.

As a result, citizens who go to business centres, office goers, students and patients visiting hospitals have to face immense problems as they get stuck on roads for hours.

There were also plans to build three new parking plazas in the city, but for three-and-a-half years, the work could not go beyond successive briefings.

Work on a parking plaza was started at Fawara Chowk during the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government and only the basement and the first floor of the plaza could be constructed while two more floors are yet to be constructed.

A shelter home (Panagah) has been set up in the basement of the parking plaza.

The current government decided three years ago to build parking plazas at three locations, including on Saddar City Road and the busiest Bani Chowk to overcome the growing problem of parking in the city.

It was decided to construct these parking plazas under the private-public partnership mode. Despite the availability of the site and design for all three parking plazas, the matter could not be taken further except for the appointment of the consultant.

Lack of parking arrangements has made the lives of citizens miserable.

Traffic jams have become a routine on Murree Road, Liaquat Road, Saddar City Road, Jamia Masjid Road, Iqbal Road, Circular Road, Kohati Bazaar Road, Bani Chowk, Dungi Khoi Chowk, Raja Bazaar, Old Fort, Bhabra Bazaar, College Road, Alam Khan Road. , Bagh Sardar Road, Asghar Mall Road, Syedpur Road, Commercial Market, Satellite Town, Muslim Town, Sadiqabad and other roads including Dhok Khabba and their adjoining business centres.

Patients and students are finding it difficult to reach hospitals and educational institutions as their vehicles get stuck in traffic for hours during peak hour.

Office goers and motorists also face the same situation on city roads.

When contacted regarding the construction of new parking plazas in the city, Municipal Planning Officer Shehzad Haider said that the matter has been referred to the PPP Authority. Further progress will be made once funding for parking plaza projects is decided under the PPP mode, he said.

The construction of three new parking plazas in the city and the completion of the parking plaza at Fawara Chowk will improve the flow of traffic on major roads, he said.

Observers said that a massive  churning out cars by banks through loans have further complicated the problem amidst an absence of a proper public transport in the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2022.