Commuting woes: Traffic held up for six hours on Circular Road

Traffic police say traffic jam was caused by encroachments.

LAHORE: Traffic on Circular Road was suspended for nearly six hours on Saturday.

Several motorists complained traffic wardens were absent from intersections and major signals in the area.

“I am taking my mother to a hospital after she fainted at home. She has been unconscious since then,” said Muhammad Gibran, 22. “I don’t know when I will reach the hospital.”

Several ambulances were stuck in traffic for nearly an hour.

“I commute on Circular Road regularly. Traffic wardens are frequently missing,” said Abu Bakr, who owns a shop in the area.

City Traffic Spokesperson Ali Nawaz said there were a large number of encroachments in the area.

“Traffic police have launched a crackdown on encroachments on roads. The chief traffic officer had a meeting in this regard on Saturday,” he said.

He said the traffic sector head been asked to submit a daily report on the crackdown on encroachers.

He said all traffic wardens assigned in the area had been present. “They helped clear the roads,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th, 2015.