Poor road engineering is one of the major contributing factors to traffic congestion and road accidents. The other contributory factors to traffic accidents are driver fatigue, reckless driving, speeding, distracted driving, underage driving, poorly maintained vehicles, local modification of motor vehicle design, geometric design of the road, violation of traffic signals, drug driving and mobile phone use during driving. An inherent inbuilt flaw in the working of different departments of the state machinery, unfortunately, further adds to the misery. The absence of proper U-turns at desired places is a failure of road engineering. Various U-turns are provided at unreasonable distances, which urge the commuter to violate the one-way rule to save time and fuel. A good-to-hear “signal-free corridors” lack a proper exit plan: another key failure of traffic planning and engineering.
Many choke points are developed, where three or four-lane shifts into a single lane. Thokar Niaz Beg, Chowk Yateem Khana, and Bhatti Chowk are a few big examples of poor road engineering. Another very important factor is missing service roads on a few important arteries, which is not only a big contributor to the woes of road users residing nearby societies or housing schemes but causes a massive traffic mess. The legal responsibility of some roads to different departments poses a big challenge to planning and policy formation and implementation. Due to this factor, traffic is unruly and chaotic and various roads are jam-packed and ill-managed, especially during office and school timing.
There is no proper education for commuters and pedestrians, and traffic sense does not prevail among road users.
Another important factor causing slow moving of vehicles and traffic jams is careless parking. People carelessly park their vehicles on the sides of congested roads without realizing that their vehicles may end up blocking the entire traffic flow, especially near schools, markets and offices. In such a situation, everyone on the road worsens the traffic jam by self-assuming, the responsibility of traffic wardens and devising a way out for their vehicle, instead of waiting patiently, hence adopting the opposite lane and further worsening the jam by blocking the flow of traffic coming from the opposite direction.
In addition to people’s behaviour on the roads, there are many other factors, which are adding up and pointing towards a policy failure. The increase in vehicles on road at an alarming rate is thought-provoking. No doubt, we have witnessed the widening of existing roads and construction of new flyovers and underpasses, yet the increase in the number of cars and other vehicles is swallowing it up and the situation remains the same especially from 7:30 am to 9:30 am, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, the peak rush and traffic jam hours, daily except Sundays and a few extent on Saturdays. There is no proper education for commuters and pedestrians, and traffic sense does not prevail among road users. The absence of zebra crossing, footpaths and road signals is a big hurdle to a smooth traffic flow. Where the footpaths available are encroached by shopkeepers and illegal parking mafia for motorcycle parking.
Not only this, but this powerful and corrupt mafia utilises roads for illegal parking whereas traffic police remain a silent observer. Daily, many incidents are reported where people and the parking mafia fight for illegal occupancy of roads for parking or highly charged parking fees, if they are compelled to park there in absence of a parking space by the local government.
As a matter of fact, Lahore is growing in all directions and managing traffic is becoming a serious problem, as the expansion is not exactly as per the master plan of Lahore. Daily commuters from Sheikhupura, Kasur, and Gujranwala are also increasing causing further pressure on the traffic system. Hence to reduce traffic congestion on roads, proper planning, policy regulation and implementation are a dire need of the hour. It is a bitter fact that in spite of the wide roads in Lahore, traffic jams have become a routine problem. While most of the city’s routes are signal-free, travel time of minutes has turned into hours and the biggest reason for the situation is a violation of traffic laws. In short due to poor traffic control, illegal parking, absence of signals and many other complimentary factors the traffic situation is becoming adverse in Lahore day by day.
The writer is a freelance columnist.