Young revellers: Celebrations cause traffic woes

220 youths kept in lockup for a few hours, handed over to parents.

LAHORE:

City roads were choked with traffic on Tuesday evening as young people poured onto the streets to celebrate Independence Day.

Major traffic jams were reported on MM Alam Road, at Liberty Roundabout, Jail Road, The Mall, Lohari Gate, Shah Almi, Rang Mehal, City Railway Station, Misri Shah, Sheranwala Gate, Wahdat Road, and in parts of Defence and Allama Iqbal Town.

Many of the jams were caused when people parked their cars on the roads and got out to dance and cheer. At many places, they were seen arguing with policemen.

The chief traffic officer said a day earlier that 3,200 officials would be deployed to manage traffic on Monday.

Wheelies

Young men often celebrate holidays by driving recklessly and at least 70 cases were registered against youths on Monday for doing wheelies, or ‘one-wheeling’.

At least 45 traffic accidents were reported, but no deaths.

Several of these one-wheelers were put in lockup for a while and released after some counseling.

Cantonment Division Operations Superintendent of Police (SP) Maroof Safdar Wahla said that 34 cases had been registered in the division against kids who drove their motorbikes recklessly.

Saddar Division Operations SP Liaqat Ali Malik said that they had arrested 220 youths for doing wheelies.

They were released after a few hours in lockup and some counseling.

“We handed them over to their parents so they would know what their kids had been doing,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 15^th, 2012.