City's roads blocked by incessant traffic jams

Failure of the authorities to curtail road encroachments, manage traffic has aggravated the chaos plaguing the road

KARACHI:

Occasional traffic jams are an inevitable part of urban life the world over. However, when these gridlocks start occurring frequently at specific areas of the city, as in Karachi, they signal a wider problem with traffic management and encroachment removal.

According to a survey conducted by The Express Tribune, there are at least 18 hotspots for gridlocks across 15 major roads of the city, which are the primary connecting routes for thousands of vehicles throughout the day. While getting stuck in a traffic jam once in a blue moon might be tolerable for most citizens, the real agony exists for those hapless commuters who have to regularly pass through these hotspots for school or work.

Dr Zaid Ahmed, a professor at a local university, revealed his struggle to reach work on time while driving through one of the traffic hotspots. "I teach at the University of Karachi. To reach my workplace, I have to pass through the University Road, which is almost always choked. As a result, I am stuck in a traffic jam on a daily basis because of which I am late for my lectures," complained Dr Ahmed.

According to Arif Hassan, a renowned urban planner, devising an effective traffic management plan was the only real solution to the problem. However, traffic officials were of the opinion that until or unless road encroachments were removed from the city, incessant gridlocks will continue to disrupt the smooth flow of traffic.

DIG Traffic Police Ahmad Nawaz Cheema revealed that there were two types of encroachment. "The first is a temporary encroachment which includes carts while the other type is permanent in nature and can include various workshops, cabins, food stalls and shops. These encroachment cause severe traffic problems but we are helpless in this regard since the removal of encroachments is the responsibility of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and the concerned municipal committees and cantonment administration," claimed Cheema.

Among the 15 traffic hotspots identified in the city is Patel Para on Business Recorder Road where traffic jams are caused daily by stalls, workshops and cabins.

These encroachments also instigate gridlocks at Al-Karam Square and Al-Azam Square located on SM Tawfiq Road. Similarly, food stalls on the Jamshed Road from Binoria Town to Central Jail Gate and on Rashid Minhas Road from Power House to Shafiq Mor also cause traffic jams. Likewise, at the Disco Bakery intersection on Allama Shabbir Ahmed Usmani Road, daily encroachment by stalls and hawkers also disrupt the traffic flow.

Similarly, stalls and shops encroachment causes traffic jams on the Shahra-e-Pakistan from Anarkali to Machli Cut and near the Usman Memorial Hospital and the Karimabad area. A similar problem persists at the Nawab Siddique Ali Khan Road at Nazimabad No7, Anda Mor Road on Shahra-e-Noor Jahan, and University Road from Jail Chowrangi to Hasan Square, Federal Urdu University to Service Road and Safoora Chowrangi to Sheraton Square. It is worth mentioning that the University Road is largely used by students from different universities, employees at government institutions and residents of nearby localities.

Moreover, the area from the Chase Store to Essa Nagri on Sir Shah Suleman Road suffers from traffic jams mostly due to the Bakra Mandi located nearby while the Rashid Minhas Road also has frequent traffic jams from Johar Mor to Salman Plaza and Nipa Bridge to Johar Mor. Likewise, there is a traffic jam on Stadium Road from Dalmia to Imperial Lawn, on the Prof Ghafoor Ahmad Road from Johar Mor to the Latifi Cooperative Housing Society and from Johar Chowrangi to Munawar Chowrangi. Gridlocks are also common at the Tariq Road.

Speaking on the matter, the Mayor of Karachi Murtaza Wahab affirmed that the KMC staff have removed traffic encroachments several times but they keep reappearing. "Sometimes the administration of KMC receives recommendations from the dignitaries of the city to not remove illegal encroachments. Karachi is the largest city in the country in terms of population hence there are more urban problems here. These problems can only be resolved with the combined efforts of all stakeholders," said Wahab.