Encroachments blamed for traffic gridlocks

Drivers created their own unauthorised parking adding to more traffic congestion in the city

RAWALPINDI:

Encroachments and wrong parking in various areas are leading to frequent traffic jams on city roads, creating various problems for the citizens, said Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Rawalpindi Naveed Irshad. The CTO said that the city had become so congested that people looking for parking spaces face walls of long traffic jams.

At several places, drivers had created their own unauthorised parking adding to more traffic congestion in the city. Apart from shopkeepers encroaching on the area outside their shops, fruit and vegetable vendors’ stands are erected illegally throughout the market, allowing little space for commuters to pass by.

He further said that although the City Traffic Police (CTP) tried to remove encroachments, the departments concerned should play an effective role in resolving the issue in the long term.

Wrong parking was creating hurdles in a smooth traffic flow, he said, adding that traffic wardens and field officers had been directed to take strict action against irresponsible road users. Increased numbers of traffic wardens had been deployed at busy roads to clear wrong parking while lifters were also available to lift vehicles and motorcycles parked wrongly, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 26^th, 2022.