No plan

This letter refers to the editorial ‘Vehicles of toxicity’ (December 5, 2022). It is true that the huge increase in the number of private motor vehicles in Lahore, and other urban centres, and the absence of proper bus services in any city are polluting the environment. Although proper public transport systems in urban areas would provide some relief, the real source of the problem, which is being ignored by government planners, is the absence of good urban planning.

This has enabled the spread of an innumerable number of housing colonies around all the main cities of the country. In the absence of public transportation, these colonies mean more cars on the road, traveling over longer distances and causing more pollution. Better urban planning would mean that people live closer to where they work, significantly reducing traffic and pollution. This would also make it easier to implement a public transport system.

Abdul Majeed

Islamabad