Another unused pedestrian bridge

Rawalpindi

Commuters travelling from Adiala Road and nearby areas to go to the airport and Islamabad as well as all the localities in between, heaved a sigh of relief as the overhead pedestrian bridge near the session courts close to Jinnah Park was completed but alas! Their relief did not last long. 

This part of the road has been a bottleneck for traffic ever since the new premises were opened a few years ago, with lawyers and their clients going from one side to the other in a steady stream. Long lines of vehicles waiting two abreast are seen crawling along until they pass the crossover point between the two sides of the courts. The fact that vehicles are parked on one side of the narrow road near the old courts - in spite of the ‘No Parking’ signs - making the steady flow of traffic even more difficult is another story! Mind you, those working in these buildings are the ones that are supposed to uphold the laws of the land and set an example. 

This bridge was completed some time ago –it is a better looking one than most of the ones around the city - but pedestrians do not use it, just as the bridges which have been built in other areas are scarcely used, especially on the Expressway. 

Now again you may see a single elderly person or a couple walking across from one side of the courts to the other – end of story!  Unless the original crossover point is demolished - and it makes you wonder why it was not - no one will use the bridge because it requires more of an effort.  At this point it’s a real nuisance because there is a constant stream of people going to and fro till the courts close and it’s also the time when vehicular traffic is the heaviest, creating a slow moving traffic jam.

— photo by Khalid Raja