What one observes the most when landing in another country for the first time is the traffic on its roads. Road traffic reveals much about public behaviour and how the traffic police discharge their duty in supervising it. Unfortunately, we can neither speak for public behaviour on the roads nor about police performance in controlling traffic.
The intensity of traffic on the roads has increased tremendously. Letters to various newspapers regularly appear in which the writers complain of unruly traffic in different cities. The question arises whether maintaining orderly traffic is part of good governance by the incumbent government or whether it should be left to road users to settle the matter by themselves. And how safe is our complete transport system – be that travel by air, railways or on the roads?
It seems the important safety factor is not paid as much attention in our transport systems, PIA, Railways and road-traffic as it deserves. Static government departments don’t attract as much public attention about their working as do the ones with their elements on the move. When a PIA plane carrying 53 passengers overshoots the runway while landing on Gilgit airport, it’s said ‘the captain skilfully gained control of the plane and all passengers were safe’. However, the plane was shown tilted on its right side with its wing touching the grassy area ahead of the runway. Why should it overshoot the runway in the first place? Was it the pilot’s error of judgement or a mechanical fault in the plane – we will never know.
Similarly, when tragic train accidents take place killing and injuring many passengers, the event is mentioned once in the media, an inquiry is ordered, sympathy statements issued by the big – and then forgotten. There’s no serious follow-up and none is held responsible. We have become an accident-prone country where everyday loss of human lives in accidents don’t raise many eyebrows. Roads have turned into killing zones for which the traffic police are to blame. Typically, traffic wardens stand in clusters at various road junctions, gossiping on their cell phones. They even ignore serious offenders who violate rules of one-way traffic and jeopardise the lives of disciplined motorists. They however keep a vigilant eye on the passing VIPs. And if you see them acting with unusual alacrity, take it that some VIP is about to descend.
It's a common observation that majority of the drivers – both motorists and motorcyclists – are not fully conversant with traffic rules. Many of them violate traffic rules out of ignorance. For instance, it’s rare to see drivers use indicators before turning. But most annoying it is to tail someone driving leisurely in a fast lane and talking on his cell – a practice all too common. This also includes women drivers. How can an apparently educated gent behind the wheel be so callous towards other drivers hurrying to reach somewhere. Simply, it’s just that we haven’t developed a culture of courtesy for others on the road. In any parking lot you usually find either huge expensive vehicles or official cars parked haphazardly.
Then there’s no concept of ‘right of way’. Even a few cars on a small road junction would jumble up and the drivers won’t know who should move first. They would keep nudging to make way for themselves. Only those driving monstrous vehicles would drive through without caring for other drivers.
Now that a digitized registration system has been introduced, why allow some to display their ‘who is who’ status on the number plates of their cars? Many upholders of the law – lawyers – consider themselves exempt from displaying correct number plates on their vehicles, not to mention their tinted car windows – a status symbol of ‘touch me not’. And haven’t we heard of ‘black coats’ thrashing traffic wardens for checking them?
Those in senior positions in the government, including bureaucrats who go abroad for training courses, know how the traffic is managed in the civilised world. How the queuing system is strictly followed. We don’t need to invent a new system; we only need to emulate the system that works efficiently elsewhere. That would not only make public life easy and safe but also portray us a civilised nation.
The writer is a freelance columnist based in Lahore.
Email: pinecity@gmail.com
