Terrible traffic

KARACHI: The traffic system in the country is in a complete mess. Karachi is perhaps the worst. Buses do not stop at designated bus stops. In many instances, bus stops do not exist. They stop suddenly in the middle of the road. Safety of passengers is nobody’s concern. The traffic police do not stop the buses from doing this. Even in many developing countries, bus route numbers are printed prominently but here there is no such thing. Fares to various distances are not available. Rickshaws and taxis do not have or use meters. Old, smoke-emitting buses are common. This is a clear health risk but no action is taken against those responsible. There are a number of signal-free roads now but no zebra crossings for pedestrians.

For heavily populated cities an alternative system of transport is necessary. There should be perhaps a rail network in Karachi for commuters. Millions of man-hours are lost due to slow traffic or traffic jams. No study has been undertaken to study the loss of time and its cost to industry, trade, workers and students as a result of this. A master plan covering various aspects of traffic needs to be prepared and implemented.

The Sindh and the city governments need to address this issue with urgency.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 15^th, 2010.