Accessibility to comfortable commutation,
smooth traffic flow and safe transportation are keys for environmental civics
in megacity like Karachi. However, since the last few months commuters from all
walk of life are facing extra ordinary traffic jam in evening hours which has
made the city environs extremely horrible, hectic and burdensome. The traffic
police of the city under the directorship of DIG Traffic Police Asif Ijaz
Shaikh, issued a recent report pointing out key reasons behind this traffic jam
and they are as fallows;
Damaged Roads
Karachi is ranked
7th in the biggest megacities of the word but ranked also 4th with the highest
number of road crash facilities. A recent study reveals that 33% of road
crashes in the city are caused by erroneous road designs while 42% of the city'
population is under high threat of road accidents, noise and air pollution.
Roads are also got frequently damaged because of utility leakages and sometime
nearby people also dig themselves for their pity interests. Yet patchy and
uneven road networks are one of the main causes of traffic jamming and
accidents in Karachi.
Encroachments
The DIC Traffic
specifically mentions the illegal parking outside a leading mega Super Store at
Qayyumabad that disrupts traffic. However, illegal parking is a common feature
nearly all mega super markets and malls of the city. Apart from unauthorised parking
these are the illegal encroachments outside almost every mall and supermarket
in the shape of carts and road-side cabins which are causing hustles in traffic
movement. Moreover these encroachments are regular features of busy
cosmopolitan areas like Saddr, Tower, Liaqutabad, Malir, Korangi, Qaidabad, Banaras,
Shershah and etc. These obstacles in free traffic flow can be removed and the
mayor Karachi also recently suggested special Hawker Zones in various areas to
accommodate carts and cabins, yet it would not be enough as a solution.
Sewage Fuss
Nishter Park
signal, Guru Mandir, Nazimabad, Gulshan e Iqbal, PECHS and Sadder are usual
areas in the city where sewage leakages are common. This sewage water on roads
reduces the acceleration of traffic flow and also causes accidents in rush
hours. Besides sewage water, tons of solid waste and mounts of garbage
alongside roads is also a reason which is a nuisance in commutation and
environment.
Absence of
Parking areas
Not only in
markets at old city areas the parking spaces are unavailable, but also the
provision of parking has not been
kept in mind in newly developed markets, hospitals, education institutes and
business offices. Similarly areas like Sakhi Hasan, Korangi Creek turn and
Rashid Minhas Road where series of marriage halls and lawns are situated the
facility of parking are not provided.
Under-construction
Developments
Long queues of
vehicles are daily witnessed on multiple thoroughfares in Sadder, Tower,
Gulshan e Iqbal, Malir, Gulistan e Jauhar, F B Area, Nazimabad, New Karachi,
Sher Shah and Korangi. The DIG Traffic himself points out that development
works are underway in different areas of the city too was one of the causes as
vehicles had to diverted to other roads where massive traffic jams are already
occurring. In the six Karachi districts simultaneous reconstruction of 20
different roads including
Shahr e Faisal, MA Jinnah Road, University Road, Rashid Minhas Road, Sir Shah
Suleman Road, Stadium Road, Tariq Road, Jahangir Road, Mauripur Road, Green
Line Bus and National
Highway cause traffic gridlock and severe hardship and agony to a large number
of motorists and commuters.
These above are
the reasons asserted in the Traffic police reports, yet there are other key
untold reasons of traffic jamming which were missing in the report. These
untold reasons are
Peak Hours Rush
Traffic police and
urban planners of various civic bodies in the city has failed to identify any
acceptable solution of peak hour rush on the roads. Largely the city'
commercial hub that includes wholesale markets, traders, shipping sector, head
offices of commercial banks and Corporations are situated at the south of the
city so catering this one-dimensional movements of traffic should not be any
rocket science. Traffic authorities have tried out orthodox solutions so far
including widening of lanes and manual traffic controlling but that's not
enough for megacity traffic management, they will have to come up with some
modern modules with strict implementation of rules.
VIP Movements
Traffic flow in
Karachi is just like circulation of blood in human body. If any clot comes in
the way, the pressure will build on other areas and it will affect the entire
system. Police and other law enforcement agencies always avoid to comment on
VIP movements, which forcibly put a halt on traffic flow at a particular
section of the road and denies commuters including ambulances to travel to
their destinations. Usually the areas are largely affected by VIP movement are
Shara e Faisal, Abdullah Haroon Road and Clifton but when the circulation of
traffic is stopped there the effects of this blockage can be seen throughout
the city.
Heavy Traffic
Regulations are
already existed which proscribe heavy vehicle movement in the downtown in day
time, but traffic police authorities often exercise these regulations only when
and where they like. As, presently the higher ups of traffic police has
enforced ban on heavy traffic in day time in limited areas like Clifton, DHA,
Shara e Faisal, Baldia, Korangi, Malir, Landhi and etc where development works
are not underway while area like Sadder, University Road and Nazimabad were
exempt from this rule. Therefore this regulation rarely bring any smoothness in
traffic flow. Heavy traffic specially containers, dumpers and tankers must be
strictly banned during daytime in city which are not only causing traffic jam
but are dangerous in terms of accidental events.
Regular rise in
vehicles
Although there is
no as such accurate data but traffic and excise departments blame that more
than 3 million registered vehicles on road are contributing to traffic
problems. But independent sources claim that there are nearly 5 million
registered and unregistered vehicles in Karachi. While more than 16,000 new vehicles
arrive monthly in the city and besides that thousands of vehicles enter in and
depart the city daily. Urban planners do not plan transport strategies keeping
in mind these unforeseen number of vehicles.
Absence of Mass
Transit Program
Above them all a
mass transit system is urgently required to make the urban transport system
more sustainable and safe. Only thereafter we can hope a Karachi which would be
a manageable, commutable and livable city.
By
Editorial, Infocus
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