Apprehensions expressed about bikers’ lane

LAHORE:Several motorcycle users have expressed their apprehensions about the ongoing construction of the dedicated bikers’ lane on Ferozepur Road.

In a survey, a large number of motorcyclists told The News that several cuts in the lane can cause serious accidents. The construction of the lane has been started on the special directives of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, who wants to provide safe travel to motorcycle users.

Under the ongoing project, the LDA’s Engineering Wing started erecting about one foot high blocks of road dividers on the extreme left lane of the Ferozepur Road after the Muslim Town bridge till the Lahore bridge in front of Arfa Kareem Tower on both sides of the road.

Firstly, this has turned a four-lane road into a three-lane artery while at Kalma Chowk flyover it further squeezed the Ferozepur Road into a two-lane road, which may affect the flow of the routine traffic.

There are some dangerously open points on the dedicated lane such as at the start and end of the Kalma Chowk flyover, which will allow the bikers to change the lane or any other road user can enter the dedicated biker’s lane. Similarly the bikers who are coming down from the Kalma Chowk flyover will be exposed to accidents with cars turning towards Model Town underpass. Khurram, a motorcyclist, said that the open cuts at the start and end of the Kalma Chowk are very dangerous as both these points already faced accidents. “The government should choose a straight road or a straight portion for this experiment,” he suggested.

Tabish Hassan, another motorcycle user, said in the past the government has made buses and bikers lanes on The Mall and Canal Bank Road but failed to enforce the bikers and buses to remain in the lanes.

He said unplanned construction of another Biker’s Lane on Ferozepur Road was a desperate attempt to use funds by the LDA instead of providing an actual relief to citizens.

When asked, DG LDA Tahir Farooq said only required cuts were allowed and LDA will further curtail them after functioning of the lane as per requirement and the initiative will reduce traffic congestion and accidents. “On every cut the lane’s colour has been changed into orange so bikers know that this is the crossing lane and he should slow down his motorcycle in this area,” he maintained.

Meanwhile, the DG along with Chief Engineer LDA Israr Saeed visited the route of the biker line and made a detailed review of the route of the bikers’ lane from Canal Junction to Lahore Bridge.

In a briefing, the DG was told that a biker lane was also being constructed on Kalma Chowk flyover on Ferozepur Road and work was being executed in two shifts on both sides from Kalma Chowk to Lahore Bridge and a total of seventy-five percent of the work on project has been completed. The DG said for the convenience of citizens, the entire route of the bikers’ lane will be opened next week.