Traffic control needed at night

In conversation, commuters often wonder where the traffic police/wardens ‘disappear’ during the evening hours since they are generally not visible except in a very few places! After all, there is a lot of traffic on the roads at night, though the volume may not be as much as during the day and there needs to be some kind of deterrent against traffic rule violations. The Islamabad Traffic Police have set a benchmark of being duty conscious and good regulators but night time hours have not been given the same importance.

Deciding to find out the reason I called the telephone numbers given on their web site but the Islamabad Traffic Office HQ numbers were constantly busy throughout the day. While it is a well-known fact that a lot of traffic chaos is seen on the roads at all times, during daylight hours there is some semblance of order when the wardens are on duty – drivers tend to be a little more careful for fear of getting a ticket. Since rules have become stricter and fines heavier, it is even more of a deterrent and does make a difference.

Come night time, many drivers tend to ignore all traffic rules and regulations, especially those driving heavy vehicles like trucks and passenger busses, while most drivers in cars get into the mood to race down the express and highways at full speed - even racing against each other unmindful of the danger to themselves and other road users. If you are a regular commuter between the sister cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, you will notice heavy vehicles leaving their lanes and hurtling down the ones that are reserved for cars, horns blaring at full volume.

That is not to say car drivers are immune from temptation – there are many ‘Speedy Gonzalves’ on the road who fancy themselves as ‘experts’ and can be seen racing with each other late at night, probably imagining themselves as being on a race track of some kind but instead turn out to be a menace for other road users.

Anyway, by remaining ‘missing’ during the evening/night hours, they are losing out in accruing funds that could be collected from the ticket fines that would be issued during these hours! Since we often hear that these departments are strapped for cash, it makes sense to take advantage of the situation and fill the kitty – and make driving at night safer for drivers who operate by the rules!