There’s no doubt that we Pakistanis have lose a significant amount of valuable time stuck in traffic jams on the roads....
THINK PAD
There’s no doubt that we Pakistanis have lose a significant amount of valuable time stuck in traffic jams on the roads. It is, however, the result of both the government’s inability to instil driving discipline and our drivers’ ignorance of basic traffic rules and regulations.
Lane discipline is one of the fundamental rules of driving. No driver should think otherwise. However, almost everyone seems to have forgotten this rule and drives carelessly on both large roads, such as highways, and smaller streets alike. Major cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta have also failed to maintain a smooth flow of traffic on their main roads, often resulting in severe congestion during peak hours.
The government - especially the roads and transport authorities - has not addressed the issue in a diligent or responsible manner. Most main roads in urban areas are poorly defined. Road markings to indicate lanes are either faded or completely missing. There is no strict monitoring of traffic to ensure that each vehicle category uses its designated lane. Even motorcycles and rickshaws are found speeding on highways in fast lanes. Heavy transport vehicles (HTVs) also switch lanes recklessly, often ignoring lane discipline entirely.
All this undisciplined driving behaviour has only added to our miseries. We face traffic congestion daily. We fail to reach our destinations on time. Patients suffer while stuck in ambulances. Children are delayed while commuting to schools and colleges. However, the most distressing of all the consequences is the alarming number of road accidents. Most of these accidents occur because vehicles change lanes without any regard for traffic rules, crashing into others doing the same. As a result, serious injuries occur, or in the worst cases, these collisions lead to fatalities.
Numerous research papers have been published highlighting this issue, and many solutions have been proposed for its rectification. So why is the problem still unresolved? Sometimes, forceful implementation of regulations becomes necessary - not only to enforce order but also to make people aware of the consequences and realise the urgency for corrective action. Our traffic and transport authorities are fully competent to address this issue, yet they must be reminded that this is not an unsolvable problem. Most developed and developing nations have managed to maintain smooth traffic flow on their roads. Traffic congestion exists there too, but primarily due to the increasing number of vehicles - not because of undisciplined driving practices.
It is, therefore, essential that our authorities instil driving discipline at every level - starting with re-educating current drivers through awareness campaigns and advertisements, followed by properly educating new licence applicants, and ensuring that road markings are clearly defined on all roads, big and small. Lastly, we as citizens must take responsibility by observing traffic laws and strictly following lane discipline to save both our precious time and our precious lives.
