Gridlocks in Mardan inconvenience shoppers, road users

MARDAN: The roaring sounds of rickshaws and other vehicles coupled with the plumes of smoke are taking a toll on the health of road users in Mardan city as traffic jams have become an order of the day.Thought traffic cops can be seen making untiring efforts to regulate the 'unruly' traffic, they are unable to make a difference.

But they are not the only ones to be blamed for the messy traffic.The drivers also don't follow the rulers and flout traffic regulations on a whim that has added insult to injury. The gridlock, which has become the norm, inconveniences the shoppers, particularly the women. A woman shopper on the Gaju Khan Road said, "Many women visit the Gaju Khan Road for shopping and they face problems due to traffic jam.""Sometimes children tagging along with their mothers are lost," she added.She said the authorities had even ordered the closure of the one lane of the Gaju Khan Road to facilitate the women shoppers, but the order was not being followed.Arif Khan, a shopkeeper at Gaju Khan Road, said, "We are fed up with the traffic jams as most people avoid shopping due to gridlock."The Gaju Khan Road, Bank Road, Shaheedano Bazaar and Khwaja Ganj Bazaar always experience worst kinds of traffic jams particularly at rush hours.The problem of traffic congestion stems from unchecked encroachments, which has created problems for the pedestrians and motorists alike.