ITP can minimise commuters’ sufferings

Islamabad:It has become painful, almost traumatic to travel on the Islamabad Expressway, especially froing towards Grand Trunk (GT) Road from Gulberg Green onwards or coming from T-Chowk towards Islamabad up to Gulberg Green.

Being a commuter, travelling at least five days a week from up and down from PWD to Islamabad since last over 8 years now, the traffic situation has turned from bad to worse and now worse by the day.

Some five years ago the situation was not so bad and it was always considered better to wait in Islamabad till 7 pm as the traffic used to thin considerably with the descent of evening. But now that phenomena also has completely changed as the population in housing societies beyond Gulberg Green bridge has increased many folds and so has the traffic load.

Conceded that there is very heavy road construction work going on which could be cited as one big factor towards the agonizing discomfort commuters are facing but we believe the Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) can still play a very big role in minimizing the sufferings of commuters.

With just a few good steps and traffic load management tactics the ITP can provide a huge relief to the commuters on this section of the Islamabad Expressway.

A couple of years ago the Islamabad Administration, in a bid to provide relief to the commuters restricted movement of heavy traffic, trucks and other load carrying vehicles for two hours in morning, from 7 am to 9 am and from 5 pm to 7 pm.

That single step indeed provided a big relief to the commuters but somehow that practice has been abandoned now, at a time when it is most needed because of the on-going construction work.

Secondly, a meaningful deployment of ITP officers and officials to regulate traffic, especially to control the slow moving heavy vehicles by making keeping to the left lane and avoid over-taking. Second and most threatening menace on the roads and highways are the bikers. These young men on bikes, most of whom we believe don’t even have a driving license, are such a serious threat as they hardly follow any traffic rule!

We observe presence of the ITP officials and officers and we really appreciate the efforts they make to bring about some sanity on the road. We admire them for their determination and efforts they make in the extreme conditions, especially as they are on their feet for hours and hours, breathing dust and fuel fumes.

But evidently they are unable to control the heavy trucks, loaded beyond their capacity and moving at snail’s pace. If the ITP may control only this segment of traffic and make them keep to their lane on the extreme left side and avoid over-taking unless it may become absolutely necessary.

If such a situation arises then the ITP officers and officials should take over the control at such points immediately and take steps to keep the traffic flowing instead of standing there, watching helplessly as the traffic jam continue to build up.

The ITP bosses claim that they are monitoring the flow of traffic with the help of CCTV cameras strategically installed all over the city as well as with the help of drone cameras. So, an effective traffic flow monitoring system already exists. What’s needed is an effective and efficient implementation of traffic rules.