No speed breaker markings in Rawalpindi

Speed breakers in Rawalpindi have no markings at all. “If there is no marking on the speed breakers, the drivers fail to slow their vehicles, risking fatal accidents,” says Shahid Ali, a retired captain, living in Satellite Town.

“There are seven speed breakers on the Chandni Chowk, including three at the road leading towards Commercial Market, two in front of a Hospital and two in front of the Chowk and all of them have no marking,” says Shabbir Hussain, a trader at the market.

Same is the situation in the localities around airport road. “There are nine speed breakers with no markings between the entrance of Fazal Town on the Shah Faisal Avenue (Airport Link Road), and the Salahuddin Avenue, the end of the town, including a few at the Service Road, three at Dhoke Hafiz intersection, two at Shah Khalid Colony and two at Taj Abad,” says Fazal Hussain, a resident of the area.

“Small accidents are taking place almost every day in the city streets especially during night. Over the past one month and a half, three minor accidents took place in the streets of Commercial Market Satellite Town as there is no marking on the speed breakers at the spot,” says Komal Rizvi, a resident nearby.

Feroze Hasan, a small trader on the Saidpur Road, says: There are lots of speed breakers on this road but there is no marking on them and demanded immediate colouring of the speed breakers.

Sher Zaman, talking to this scribe blamed negligence of the civic bodies for not marking the speed breakers. He said: “We have issued several letters to the concerned department for marking the speed breakers with white and yellow colours at some places this year but we are yet to get any response.”

A highly placed department official, preferring anonymity, told this scribe when residents have made speed breakers on their own at different points in front of residences, schools marketplaces etc; therefore, to mark and colour the speed breakers is also their responsibility.

“We cannot make or mark a few of them and colour the faded markings on the speed breakers because of both fund and manpower crisis,” he said, adding that “we can make/mark the speed breakers as early as possible if provided necessary fund and approached properly.

Oun Abbas got hurt in a road accident the night following 10th March in Fazal Town Phase-I where there was the speed breaker lying without any marking and blamed the negligence of the concerned department to mark the speed breakers.

“We have decided to lodge a case for public interest against the authorities concerned that did not take any initiative to mark the speed breakers, said the residents.