Can Karachi’s soaring RTA rate ever be brought down?

Karachi
We have all seen those monstrous trucks speeding along the city’s roads. We all know of the fatal accidents reckless drivers have caused over the years and that, despite daily deaths and consequent complaints, no concrete action has been taken to put an end to this menace.
As these accidents continue to occur and the death toll keeps rising, The News sat down with Traffic DIG Amir Ahmed Shaikh to discuss what can be done and what was being done to prevent them from happening.
From January to July this year, there were about 135 fatal accidents and 47 non-fatal ones. In the South district of the traffic police, 20 fatal and six non-fatal accidents took place in which 23 people were killed and 25 injured.
In the Central district, 20 fatal and non fatal accidents occurred in which 19 people were killed and 17 injured. In the East district, 22 fatal and three non fatal accidents took place wherein 26 people were killed and 17 injured.
In the West district, 61 fatal and 29 non-fatal accidents occurred in which 79 people were killed and 83 injured.
In the Malir district, 16 fatal and five non fatal accidents occurred in which 80 people killed and 29 injured.

What’s the cause?
The DIG said the pedestrian fatal accidents constitute 31 percent of all fatal accidents. Similarly non-fatal pedestrian accidents constitute 25 percent of all non-fatal accidents.
He added that the high percentage of fatal and non-fatal accidents could be attributed to inadequate planning and engineering faults. The city has very few pedestrian bridges and footpaths are not properly designed to segregate pedestrian and at many places, they do not exist.
Zebra crossings should be marked by the city’s administration on busy roads and along business centres, schools etc.
Awareness of traffic rules among the citizens can be a major factor in reducing accidents.
The DIG Traffic Karachi said motorcycle accident victims were involved in 40 percent of the total fatal accidents and 39 percent of the non-fatal accidents during this period.
In most of the fatal accidents, riders died of head injuries, for which they had also launched campaign for awareness to wear helmets while riding but they refused and most of the time they were also warned and challaned.
He added that, mini buses, coaches were responsible for 5% for all the fatal accidents involving also pedestrian fatal accidents, while the trucks, water and oil tankers were responsible for 38 percent and buses for five percent of pedestrian fatal accidents. These three categories alone constituted 46 percent of the accidents involving pedestrian fatal accidents. Seventeen percent involved mini-buses.

Problems and letters galore
Shaikh said that, since being posted as DIG Traffic, he had written more than 20 letters to the departments and officials concerned, including the city commissioner, regarding the pressing need for improving Karachi’s road infrastructure.
However, he added that he was still awaiting any sort of response. One of the letters he sent read, “It is apprised that this office has time and again identified some glaring issues mentioned here-in-after being experienced by the traffic police and general public and also invited your attention through several references (list attached) for its remedy, but the issues are still as it is.”
The issues, he said, include repairs of damaged roads and bridges, removal of engineering defects, painting of road surface signs, removal of encroachments, provision of parking lots, restoration of parking by-laws around 27 commercial buildings in the city’s downtown areas.
“It is, therefore, once again being requested to kindly direct the concerned offices for doing the needful on priority basis purely in the interest of smooth flow of vehicular traffic and safety of the public as well.”

Need for laws
DIG Shaikh went on to say that, despite several remainders, the department was still waiting for a response. He cited the non-availability of traffic signs on the city’s major thoroughfares as one of the main contributors in the increasing number of accidents involving dumpers, trailers and tankers.
He added that, in 2007, the issue of heavy traffic movement was raised in the apex court and, on its orders, a ban was imposed on heavy vehicles’ movement during the day. Moreover, Section 144 was also imposed for a three-month period and was renewed time to time.
Interestingly, however, the section remained limited to 36-wheelers but not upon dumpers, oil tankers, water tankers and other heavy traffic, which can still be seen roaming freely during the day.
The city’s roads, Shaikh added, were in no condition to bear such heavy traffic movement and the concerned departments were requested to include trailers and dumpers in the vehicles on whom the section was applicable.
“We plan to launch a campaign against these heavy vehicles as we are still receiving reports that most heavy vehicles do not have complete documents and are operating freely. From route permits to fitness certificates, they hardly ever have any relevant documents; this has gone on too long and we must adopt a joint strategy to counter this menace.”
Shaikh also decried the lack of space afforded to the traffic police for impounded vehicles and said several requests in this regard had also gone unanswered. Political pressure was another reason he cited, stating that whenever the traffic police took action against violators, they would organise protests and pressure the government into ordering their vehicles’ release.
“The main focus should be on water tankers and these killer dumpers as they are the ones fueling the RTA death toll in Karachi. We have now decided on taking strict action against these heavy vehicles and, this time around, we will simply impound the vehicles,” he said, adding that the department had requested the Sindh government to provide space to keep the impounded vehicles.