Road kill: DHA in a jam as Shamsheer and Mujahid one-way causes confusion

KARACHI: While the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) is making Pakistan’s first green city where houses will be powered by solar panels and windmills, it is facing issues with sorting out the traffic on two main roads in Karachi.

On December 13, DHA asked people to stop using Khayaban-e-Shamsheer and Khayaban-e-Mujahid since they have been converted into one-way passages. But no one seems to have gotten the memo yet. “No one is following the new road map,” said Zaheer Ahmed, a senior traffic warden posted on Shamsheer’s intersection with Khayaban-e-Shaheen.

“Every other day we see accidents here and at other intersections,” he said gesturing at the glass shreds spread on the ground. “I stopped a woman and she started crying. Another driver of a car said he will get transferred since his boss is in the home department.”

Khayaban-e-Shamsheer, one of the widest roads in DHA, has been dedicated to the traffic incoming from Saudi Consulate to McDonald’s on Sea View while Khayaban-e-Mujahid will be used for outgoing traffic.

The message hasn’t gotten across since DHA has either closed the traffic signals or adjusted the lights to face the traffic incoming from the consulate to Khayaban-e-Shamsheer, leaving people travelling in the opposite direction completely clueless.

DHA also put up banners but the wind put an end to the authority’s campaign.

According to Ahmed, “There was no purpose of making these one-way roads as there was never serious congestion.”

The traffic police is finding it impossible to implement the new routes. There are 26 streets meeting Khayaban-e-Shamsheer on each side.

“So we need at least one constable on each one of those lanes to stop cars from taking the wrong turn. If you ask me, we need 100 men to implement this plan. Where am I supposed to get all these men?” said DIG Traffic Khuram Gulzar.

There are 100 to 150 houses located on each side of the two roads, he said. “Everyone wants to save time, take the shortest route. It is very hard to convince all these people.”

Gulzar says DHA should have introduced service lanes so cars coming from connecting lanes don’t have to take long routes. His solution for reducing traffic congestion would be to make Zamzama Boulevard and 26th Street one-way roads. “But they never take our advice.”

The Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) wasn’t asked for its advice either. CBC’s senior engineer said he was clueless about the rationale. “They didn’t consult us.”

Faruk Dawood, the chairperson of CBC’s Traffic Committee which represents the residents, said Shamsheer and Mujahid have been made one-way roads in anticipation of increased traffic load from DHA Phase 8.

“The new phase is being developed and it is very large. So the two roads will be links for connecting the residents to the rest of the city,” he said. “But unfortunately, DHA never seeks advice from anyone.”

DHA spokesperson Rafat Naqvi insisted that this has been done to facilitate people. “It will take some time to implement the new road route,” he said without offering further explanation.

The director of development for DHA was not available for comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 26^th, 2011.