Reducing traffic jams: Sign boards, traffic cones placed on The Mall

100 such signboards will be placed from the PMG Chowk to the Canal.

LAHORE: The City Traffic Police (CTP) started placing signboards at Charing Cross on The Mall on Saturday to educate the motorists.

The boards carry messages on wearing helmets, fastening seat belts, respecting one-way traffic, lane discipline and importance of adherence to traffic rules and respecting traffic signals.

Chief Traffic Officer Tayyab Hafeez Cheema personally placed the sign boards at Charing Cross.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Cheema said that around 100 such signboards would be placed on The Mall from the PMG Chowk to the Canal. Traffic cones were also being placed at Charing Cross. “Around 100 cones are placed on The Mall to make sure that people follow the lane and line discipline,” Cheema said.

Cheema added that another 400 signboards and 400 traffic cones would be placed on the Jail Road, Canal Bank Road and Ferozepur Road in the coming days.

“On the signboards, we have mentioned the amount of fine for violations like not wearing helmets, not fastening seat belts, driving the wrong way, and ignoring lanes and signals. We hope that the violation of traffic rules decreases in the coming days,” said Cheema.



The CTO also distributed 150 megaphones among traffic wardens. He said that these wardens would educate the people about line-and-lane discipline and the need to stop before a zebra crossing.

To a question about increasing traffic jams in several areas of the city, Cheema said citizens’ protests against the Peshawar incident were causing some of the traffic jams.

Saddar Traffic SP Nida Umar told The Express Tribune that the traffic police would distribute tinted paper among drivers to cover headlights. “Most citizens cannot afford fog lights,” the SP said.

The SP also distributed pamphlets and leaflets carrying messages against one-wheeling and the importance of wearing helmets.

City Traffic SP Rana Shujat said that they were taking steps to raise awareness and to make road travel safer. He urged people to cooperate with traffic wardens. “They are there to facilitate you,” he said.

Shujat warned against failure to comply with red lights. “Breaking traffic rules and negligent driving can result in fatal accidents,” he said.

Shujat said that the department would particularly monitor motorcycle drivers and public transporters in the campaign on lane-and-line discipline.

The traffic police officers later offered fateha for the victims of the Peshawar terrorist attack.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st, 2014.