Traffic police chief says there are other factors at work as well; blames KMC,
DHA, KDA, KBCA, cantonment boards, transport ministry
Karachi’s traffic police chief claims that the city’s gridlock woes have gone beyond their control and says that those who blame them for the mess on roads should consider that there are other factors at work as well.
DIG Asif Aijaz Shaikh told The News that developmental works on 20 different locations across the metropolis were also responsible for the persistent traffic jams.
He lamented that motorists stuck in snarls accused the traffic police of poor management and inadequate enforcement of traffic laws. However, he added, there were several other reasons for bottlenecks that were beyond the control of the traffic police.
“Karachi’s roads cover an area of 3,527 square kilometres with a road network of 10,000 kilometres. Moreover, there are about 4 million registered vehicles in the city, and they increase by 1,100 a day. But the strength of the traffic police is only 4,232.”
Besides that, said DIG Shaikh, the reasons for snarls were encroachments, removing which was the responsibility of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and the police.
“As for the poor conditions of the roads, the KMC and the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) are responsible. And improper traffic engineering is the responsibility of the Karachi Development Authority’s (KDA) Traffic Engineering Bureau.”
He said the other major issues were lack of parking space, because of which commuters parked their vehicles on the roads and contributed to the traffic mess. “It’s the responsibility of the Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA), the KMC and the cantonments boards to provide parking spaces. Moreover, many vehicles on roads have incomplete fitness certificates and route permits, and the transport ministry is responsible for cancelling their certificates or not issuing certificates to unfit vehicles.”
The traffic police chief also blamed digging of roads without intimation or consultation, accumulation of sewage and frequent protest demonstrations for the bottlenecks.
DIG Shaikh said 20 developmental schemes were simultaneously under way in different parts of the city and causing enormous problems in regulating vehicular traffic.
The relevant authorities never take the traffic police on board before starting a project, he added, and fail to provide alternate traffic routes. “Ultimately, both the traffic police and the public are left to face the numerous impediments.”
He stressed upon the need to expedite the pace of developmental works in the interest of the people as well as for smooth traffic flow.
“A project is under way in District South, four in District City, five in District Central, five in District East, two in District Korangi and three in District Malir, and they are the main factors behind the snarls.”
The traffic police chief said that due to the developmental works, more than 40 points around the city were choked up with traffic: 15 in District City, 11 in District West, eight in District East, four in District Central, three in District Malir and one in District South.
He added that because of the ongoing projects, vehicular traffic was diverted to other thoroughfares but the present infrastructure was unable to accommodate the heavy volume and needed to be redesigned by the KDA’s Traffic Engineering Bureau and the KMC with the consultation of the traffic police.
He said that there was also a dire need to create more lanes by reducing the size of footpaths and the adjacent paved areas occupied by filling stations, eateries and offices.
He also suggested constructing a flyover from the PAF Recruitment & Selection Centre to the Natha Khan Bridge to ease traffic at the Drigh Road light signal during peak hours.
For smooth traffic flow on MR Kiyani Road, he recommended that the Karachi Press Club be relocated, as frequent protest demonstrations and rallies were organised there.
He also proposed removing shopkeepers’ encroachments and other vendors’ pushcarts as well as stopping illegal parking in the Eidgah Chowk and MA Jinnah Road areas.
He stressed on restoring parking spaces in commercial buildings, shifting Jodia Bazaar to the outskirts of the city, and constructing underpasses at the Garden, Tibet Centre, Eidgah, Baba-e-Urdu and Denso Hall intersections.
DIG Shaikh said the chronic traffic issues were poor road engineering and condition, inadequate sewage system, encroached roads and footpaths, lack of parking spaces, absence of bus terminals, unfit public transport vehicles and traffic violations.
He suggested that the CDGK Parking Plaza be restored and different spaces be allotted across the city for charged parking so that the roads could be cleared of a large number of stationary vehicles.
He also recommended carpeting and repairing of damaged roads, repainting of zebra crossings and lane markings, as well as revision of the traffic violation penalties so that higher fines could discourage people from breaking the law.