‘Illegal’ parking lots hamper traffic flow in Mardan city

MARDAN: The traffic jams have become the order of the day in the Mardan city and the traffic wardens seem to be struggling to cope with

the mess.

During a visit to the city, it was observed that motorists and pedestrians have to face inconvenience due to frequent gridlocks at the squares and bazaars in the city.

Mohammad Idrees, a resident, said that the Gajju Khan, Bank Road, Shahedano Bazaar and Khwaja Ganj Bazaar were visited by the shoppers, but frequent traffic jams have forced the customers to do shopping at mega marts on Nowshera Road.

Due to the traffic jam on Gajju Khan Road, our business has been badly affected as customers, particularly the women, do not come to these markets due to the rush of vehicles,” a trader said.

“Illegal parking places along the roads lead to traffic jams in the city. Some influential people with the connivance of TMA staff have established illegal parking lots,” he added. The shopkeepers have opened most of the closed U-turns on their own.

Majority of the rickshaw drivers have removed the route number plates and are plying in the entire city.

Farid Khan, a customer, said that the main reason for traffic jam in Mardan city was the countless numbers of three-wheeler rickshaws.

He added that the TMA had no record about the number of the three-wheelers plying the city roads.

In addition to heavy vehicles, pushcarts also hinder the smooth flow of traffic. The pedestrians are facing problems because the pavements are occupied by shopkeepers. Vans and trucks unloading goods in front of shops also contribute to the traffic jams during daytime.

It is pertinent to note that the entry of heavy vehicles in the main market was banned during the daytime. The residents asked Regional Police Officer Mardan Range Mohammad Ali Khan and District Police Officer Haroon-ur-Rashid to take strict action to solve the traffic jam issues.