Fleeting moments

Traffic tales

As if the traffic conditions on our roads were not chaotic enough, the rainy season has added to the miseries of the road-users. The traffic situation, especially in Lahore, has deteriorated so much that negotiating traffic logjams takes much of one’s useful time every day.

Many city roads are sufficiently wide yet they remain clogged because motorists and motorcyclists show no traffic sense, nor do they care about traffic discipline.

Who is to blame for it? Isn’t managing traffic part of good governance?

The problem is that those who have the power to tame the unruly traffic don’t have to go through the traffic ordeal on daily basis. Only ordinary commuters suffer.

Every major city in the province has its choke points. In a big city like Lahore, the entry and exit points of hospitals, universities, colleges and schools cause a main hindrance in the traffic flow. Similarly, two-lane roads between the underpasses on canal banks obstruct flow of traffic. It is common to see two motorists scuffle with each other over a minor traffic incident and passers-by stopping to watch the show.

Another area of major traffic congestion lies on Multan Road, which is the main artery for entering or exiting the provincial capital. A road stretch of about 5-6kms from Thokar Niazbeg to Chung is painful to negotiate. Government offices such as the NHA head office, NAB’s provincial head office, NLC dry port and customs clearing offices, traffic police office, and of course, the bus stop are located within visual distance of each other on both sides of the road.

One can imagine the traffic chaos, especially when the road leading down country only has two lanes for the long-body buses and 40ft long container transporters to pass through. Many letters have appeared in various newspapers but the Punjab government remains indecisive about widening this particular stretch of road.

Whenever tennis-playing friends sit back to chat after a good knock on the court during the sultry weather, the usual question asked is ‘so how’s the government doing’. Then comparison between the four chief ministers and their performance is often made.

My vote goes to the assertive and workaholic CM Punjab for his competence and performance, even though the newly appointed boyish-looking CM Sindh is showing a lot of promise. CM Shah is mixing up with common folk and enjoying syrupy tea at local stalls.

But why does the messy traffic not surface on the list of priorities of Mian Shahbaz Sharif? Orderly traffic moving in proper lanes, without honking or blinking lights at other drivers would itself speak of the city administration’s efficiency. Frankly, to look at billboards with the smiling pictures of politicians when one is stuck in long traffic jams is least amusing.

Where have all the traffic wardens disappeared? They are not visible where they should be – supervising the busy road intersections. Instead, many of them now stand on road turns to flag down motorists driving without wearing seatbelts. Yet the wardens would not even look towards those who brazenly violate the one-way traffic rule nearby.

Violation of this rule is a serious traffic offence as it jeopardises not only the lives of the violators but also of law-abiding motorists. Which is a more serious traffic violation, driving without wearing a seat belt or violating a one-way traffic rule by driving in opposition direction of the traffic flow? The offenders include both motorists and motorcyclists.

If the Punjab government has the will, it can easily set the road traffic in order. All it needs is active policing on the roads, heavy fines on motorists and motorcyclists who violate traffic rules, and impounding of vehicles on repeated violations.

Traffic wardens should learn how the Motorway police do it. And no discrimination between VIPs and commoners, please!

The writer is a freelance columnist based in Lahore. Email: pinecity@gmail.com