Daily Times

Islamabad faces an escalating challenge of road safety, traffic congestion, and air pollution. “Every year, 40,000 lives are lost and over 100,000 are disable in road-related accidents in Pakistan, making it one of the big challenges for human security and thereby human rights phenomenon.Additionaly, every year, we lose almost 4% of our GDP due to road accidents,” stated Prof Muhammad Zaman, the founding chairman of School of Sociology at the country’s top ranked Quaid-i-Azam University. This isn’t just about numbers; these are real people, our loved ones, and our real financial loss, he said.

He is heading the team that has launched the country’s Grand Challenge Fund project aiming to make roads safer and city’s smarter. Among other hiccups, his team faces bureaucratic bottlenecks as the most daunting challenge.

Prof Zaman said, “What if we could change this and protect fundamental human rights of the Pakistani?”

“We, at Quaid-i-Azam University, in collaboration with International Islamic University and multiple academic and sectoral partners, are working diligently to address these pressing issues with a groundbreaking project… designed to make our city safer, smarter, and more sustainable.”

“As per our initial research, we identified resources, but they are without optimal usage. We need only 200-250 buses with a smart centralized transport system and electronic surveillance on dedicated lines in Islamabad. However, Islamabad has over 1400 vehicles available in public and private sectors and if they are used properly, it may lead to 30% road congestions, reducing over 60% motorcycles and thereby road accidents and less environmental pollution.

“Our project has four main goals: developing a Smart Public Transport and Smart Parking model, enhancing Electronic Surveillance Systems, reducing vehicle carbon emissions, and influencing human behavior and legislation towards safer road usage”, Muhammad Zaman argued.

“Imagine a future where parking is no longer a daily struggle but a seamless experience, made possible through our Smart Parking System using Internet of Things technology.”, Imran Sabir believed.

“A city where every driver is accountable, thanks to a Centralized Smart Driving Licensing System integrated with NADRA for verification, making our roads safer.”

“Envision a city where commuters plan their journeys intelligently, with real-time data provided by our Smart Journey Planning systems, reducing congestion, and ensuring timely arrivals.”

“And a sustainable project, sustained not by draining public funds, but by a self-funding Build, Operate, Transfer model, where revenues are reinvested into the system to keep it running and constantly improving.” “Through our comprehensive but integrated methodological plan, we seek to identify and address the root causes of road accidents and inefficient planning.”

“And we’re not stopping at just identifying problems, we’re actively pushing for change in policy and legislation, making road safety a priority for our city.”

“We invite you to join us in our endeavor. Let’s work together to make Islamabad a city where safety, efficiency, and sustainability are not mere ideals, but everyday realities. Let’s leverage smart technologies and the optimum use of existing resources to solve our road safety and traffic congestion problems.”

“Together, we can transform Islamabad into a smarter, safer, cleaner city. We have the plan. We have the commitment. All we need now is your support.” “Join us in our mission for a safer Islamabad and Pakistan.”, Muhammad Zaman requests.