Excluding Metro bus facility, Rawalpindi transport calls for some planning so that Pindiites get access to adequate levels of mobility. It is necessary that city residents use their productive hours in activities which add financial value and give them contentment as well as a sense of accomplishment.
Transport problem in the city is a main source of unpleasant impact on the quality of life especially for a common man. “In fact, the living conditions of city residents depend a lot on its infrastructure for mobility. As it is, people in different areas of the city are subjected to many kinds of sufferings. The time taken in traveling often for long durations only adds to work-related stress that people carry home from their workplaces,” says Jafar Hussain.
“Due to complex conditions that exist in the city I spend considerable time every day going from one location to the other as I have to change three wagons to reach my destination,” says Anwar Abbas.
“City has continued to grow, which adds distance and time to travel. Even in areas usually well-served by public transport, mostly driving times are much greater than by car,” adds Anwar.
“In our city the supply side of transport infrastructure has generally not kept up with the demands for mobility. Motorization has also increased the demand for parking space, which creates land-use problems, particularly in central areas of city. Hence, the problem of congestion is compounded further, because drivers are often looking for space for parking, which is often in short supply,” says Farhad Zaidi.
“Moreover, at several places, traffic signals are often not synchronized, which also boosts congestion,” adds Farhad.
“Once a city develops with supremacy of private transport, a change becomes very difficult. Often, adding road facilities does not solve the problem because adding space increases vehicle miles travelled. This is because with additional road facilities, the time and cost of driving between two points goes down, which attracts more drivers on the new road infrastructure,” says Alamdar Naqvi.
“Ideally, well-organized transport patterns also involve greater mobility for pedestrians. However, this requires consideration in the actual design of infrastructure. Also a major attitudinal change on the part of the public is essential. On old airport road near Shah Khalid Colony, for instance, zebra crossing, which requires cars and motorized transport to stop for the convenience of pedestrians, such traffic courtesy is generally ignored by motorists,” says Akbar Hussain.
Lots of people are not able to use Metro services. It is also one of the reasons why the load on public transport remains high. Aboard the overcrowded wagons and Suzukis, both the male and female are forced to travel, which often do not complete their route.
