Daily Times

KARACHI: Mismanagement of traffic system coupled with on going construction projects in the city continue to cause worst gridlock on busiest roads especially during peak hours in Ramadan.

Traffic jams are normal especially before and after Iftar near shopping malls mainly due to Eid shopping compelling citizens of Karachi every day to suffer prolonged massive gridlocks.

Every day large numbers of vehicles are stuck in a gridlock in several areas and roads of the port city of Karachi including I.I Chandrigar road, Shahrah-e-Faisal, Tariq Road Millennium Mall Gulistan e Johar, Rashid Minhas Road, M.A Jinnah Road, Mauripur Road, Jinnah Bridge 2, Nipa Chowrangi, Liaqatabad and KPT bridge.

Due to development work at Lasbela Chowk towards Nazimabad No 1, one road has been closed for traffic. Underpass is Under-Construction right opposite to The Forum Mall because of it people suffer daily in a gridlock.

On other hand traffic policemen could be seen busy in taking bribes from loading vehicles and motorcyclists due to which traffic becomes out of control and they become silent spectators.

It was observed at some places that volunteers of #fix_it were active to keep smooth flow of traffic. Besides the Rangers personnel were also seen controlling the traffic as the traffic police failed to perform duty in appropriate manner.

The traffic police attributes the huge traffic jams to the ever increasing number of vehicles coming on reads in Karachi beyond the capacity of the roads. “Lots of new vehicles are being registered daily and they come on the roads which is why the quantity of vehicles is increasing in Karachi. Every citizen wants to travel comfortably and reach to his destination as early as possible”, a traffic policeman replied when asked about the traffic jam.

The city’s traffic police blamed the civic administration for not taking them “on board” before launching development projects that cause severe bottlenecks in the smooth flow of traffic.

Recently a letter was sent to the Karachi Commissioner by traffic police whereby the police has expressed its haplessness to control vehicular movement at more than 45 intersections and roads.

“It is stated that at present 22 development projects in the city are simultaneously going on and causing enormous traffic issues on the roads,” said the letter written by the DIG Traffic to the Karachi Commissioner.

“Apart from the development projects, there are 26 choking points in the city where encroachments have made traffic management almost impossible,” a senior officer of traffic police told Daily Times.