Traffic jams in Mardan city irk people

MARDAN: People, including commuters and visitors are facing difficulties due to major traffic jams in the city.

Talking to The News here on Monday, they said all the roads in the city,including Bank Road, Malakand Road, Charsadda Chowk, ShaheedanoBazaar, Hoti Chowk and Baghdada Chowk, Malakand Chowk remained jammed most of the time due to lack of planning and violation of traffic rules.

Noor Rahman, a resident of Mardan city, said the traffic cops were largely unable to streamline traffic to reduce hardships of the motorists and commuters. Farid Khan, a visitor, alleged that wardens of traffic police had failed to control the flow of traffic.

He alleged that the majority of the traffic wardens talked on mobile phones or engaged in conversation with people instead of performing their duties. The residents pointed out that a number of the clinics and pharmacies were located near the District Headquarters Hospital on the Shamsi Road which remained jam-packed at peak hours.

They said the patients and their attendants faced hardships as the Shamsi Road was often blocked due to wrong parking and encroachments by the shopkeepers. They believed that U-turns at different roads were unnecessary and created problems.

Illegal parking places along the roads caused traffic jams in the city. Some influential people with the connivance of TMA staff have established illegal parking lots.

The residents said the condition of the Par Hoti Chowk, Malakand Road, bus station and Charsadda Chowk was no different as the passengers’ vehicles don’t follow any rule and stop anywhere they wish to pick passengers.

They added the footpaths near the bus terminal had been encroached and many shopkeepers charge money as rent from the vendors. The residents, customers and visitors asked theregional police officer and the district police officer to help resolve this issue in the city to reduce the hardships of the people.