Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The ongoing construction work on Islamabad Expressway, especially the Koral Interchange and the widening of roads, will ultimately facilitate traffic. But it has become main cause of serious traffic jams these days.

Traffic clogging on this stretch is worsening as the road construction is under way at Koral Chowk and ahead. Koral Chowk has been closed for motorists and U-turns have been directed to go via Gulberg Chowk, ahead of
Fazaia Stop.

Many people coming to the airport through the highway sometime miss their flights. The situation becomes all the more troublesome during the peak rush hours when people and students go to their work places and schools. The expressway is also used for dignitaries’ movement, thus multiplying the

difficulties even more.

Following this situation, in an aftermath of construction work, a police source said that the ITP had deployed more than 100 personnel to maintain traffic flow during this construction period and U-turns had been given turns near Gulberg Chowk and ahead of Fazaia Stop.

Meanwhile, the traffic police official said that they were focusing on the enforcement of rules and patrolling was being ensured on highways to check traffic violations and avoid traffic jams.

The ITP has put its foot down and is making serious efforts for maintaining a smooth traffic flow especially these days – when the construction was still underway, the police source said.

Another issue of lane violation by public transport

vans and motorcyclists has also become a growing threat to motorists along the 10-kilometre stretch of Islamabad Highway between Faizabad and Koral.

The citizens and the commuters say that the Islamabad Traffic Police, for reasons known to it, has virtually turned a blind eye to this mounting menace.

Small iron guards have been placed on the road to specify lanes for heavy vehicles as well as light transport. The purpose of this division is to urge drivers to follow their specific lanes.

But the lane division is being exploited by passenger-hungry van drivers who crisscross between the lanes to earn more profit.

It has been observed that public transport vans repeatedly violate and jump from one lane to another especially after seeing passengers standing there.

Likewise, the motorcyclists mostly do not follow their lane on the highways and use the fast lane instead of driving on the extreme left lane specified for them.

An additional deployment of policemen is necessary to make the motorcyclists and public transport vehicles obey on follow the lanes, said Aslam, a resident who shuttles daily from Model Town Humak to his office at Zero Point.

When contacted, the SSP (Traffic), Malik Matloob, said that four vehicles of the ITP were patroling from Faizabad to KRL Chowk to check lane violations in those areas.

A few years ago, steering on the highway from the other crowded roads used to be a delight. At that time the roads were wide the traffic was thin. But nowadays this “highway” named as the “Expressway” was the cause of violation of traffic rules and the heavy traffic flow on it – because it was now the only passage leading to the other cities.