Commuting from one place to another has become a challenge for the citizens of Peshawar.

With a population of over two million (1.97 million as of the 2017 census), the provincial capital has become the sixth most populous city in the country. That is only a part of the problem.

In the absence of adequate alternative routes, the Grand Trunk Road remains the most travelled road for daily commutes between key intra-city destinations, from the Haji Camp at the eastern end of Peshawar, the Walled City, Cantonment, Tehkal, University Road, University Town, Hayatabad and the Bara Market near the Karkhano industrial estate, in the west at the entrance to Khyber tribal district.

“The distance between Haji Camp and Karkhano Market is roughly 24 kilometres. In the past, it took around 40 minutes to commute between the two points. Now, it can take more than two hours,” complains Irshad Ali Khan, a Peshawar resident.

“Longer rides cost more as the waiting time adds to fuel use,” he explains, “The distance between the two points hasn’t changed but neither have the roads [to accommodate more traffic].”

“In fact, some of the roads have shrunk due to the construction of the Bus Rapid Transit tracks, unchecked encroachments, roadside parking spaces, offices, restaurants, private schools and colleges. The traffic here is terrible,” he says.

Rapid population growth, coupled with the influx of people to the provincial capital from other districts can also be blamed for the traffic woes.

Insufficient alternative routes, construction of dedicated lanes for the BRT system, increase in the number of vehicles, disregard for traffic rules, lack of awareness and weak enforcement of traffic rules are some of the reasons behind the traffic mayhem in the city.

Arguably, the top reason for frequent traffic holdups is the disproportionate number of vehicles on the roads. According to the Excise and Taxation Department, more than 800,000 vehicles are registered in Peshawar. The slow-moving auto-rickshaws are one of the main problems. There are more than 85,000 of them roaming around the streets of Peshawar from dawn till late in the evening.

Since its launch in August 2020, the BRT public transport facility has resulted in a gradual reduction of public transport vehicles including Peshawar’s distinctive Ford wagons and the iconic Bedford buses that zipped through the city for more than five decades.

But, despite providing great travelling relief to thousands of commuters daily, the construction of dedicated dual lanes for BRT vehicles and even wider bus stations along the only main traffic artery of Peshawar have added to the traffic congestion. At least five bottlenecks have been caused near the BRT bus stations at various points along the narrow GT Road.

Dr Zahidullah Jan, the senior superintendent of police in charge of Traffic Police, says that fixing structural problems is one of the practical ways to solve the problem. “Five lanes merging into three lanes at the bottlenecks cause unavoidable traffic jams. These are engineering problems. We have proposed the construction of either underpasses or flyovers to overcome these,” he says.

The situation is aggravated by a variety of auto-rickshaws. During rush hours, it is common to spot 8-10 rickshaws in two to three lanes trying to overtake one another to scoop customers. Occasionally, brawls break out between drivers over who can carry the available passengers.

“The top reason for frequent traffic holdups is the disproportionate number of vehicles on the roads. According to the Excise and Taxation Department, more than 800,000 vehicles are registered in Peshawar.”

Izat Khan, president of the Peshawar Rickshaw Union, says that the scuffles are a sign that the rickshaw drivers are desperate to make ends meet. “The fuel prices are rising. The compressed natural gas is hardly available these days. Then, there are traffic jams that raise the cost of travel.”

“The rickshaw drivers have no other way to fend for themselves. We cannot quit because most of us are uneducated. That bars us from other means of employment,” says the elderly union leader.

For SSP Jan, handling these drivers has been tricky. “Most of them are poor. Many are the only breadwinners for their families. They often don’t carry the required documents with them, but we try not to penalise them too heavily,” he says.

“Many drivers don’t own their vehicles. They drive the rickshaws for daily wages. This makes it harder to enforce the penalties,” he explains.

Slow-moving vehicles such as auto-rickshaws are an inconvenience for commuters. They’re also one of the causes of air and noise pollution in the city. The three-wheelers use the old two-stroke engines that emit toxic carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and sulfur oxides.

Muhammad Anwar Khan, a former director general of the Environmental Protection Agency, is of the view that auto rickshaws contribute significantly to the air pollution in Peshawar. “Vehicular emissions are to blame for 70 percent of the air pollution. Old two-stroke rickshaws and buses are the main culprits,” he says.

Air and noise pollution are also a concern for SSP Zahidullah Jan. He worries for the health of his traffic wardens who are exposed to high noise and polluted air for long hours. “Traffic wardens are constantly exposed to noise and air pollution. The noise during daytime is way above the comfortable level for human hearing. Also, their respiratory tract is exposed to dangerous exhausts from vehicles.”

“Seven teams of the Transport Department, led by motor vehicle examiners and an equal number of teams from the Traffic Police work together to penalise vehicles that are not road-worthy,” says SSP Jan.

“Impounding the dirty vehicles is another issue. We don’t have the capacity to hold a large number of vehicles. The three facilities we have in Peshawar can hold less than 400 vehicles,” he says.

Anwar Khan proposes a moratorium on the manufacturing of more rickshaws.

“Despite a Supreme Court of Pakistan order against the manufacturing of more rickshaws, factories in the Punjab continue to produce rickshaws and sell them in all parts of the country. This practice should be stopped for the greater good of Pakistan. Banks financing for vehicles should also be limited to electric and hybrid vehicles,” he says.

He also stressed the need for better traffic management. “In many cities across the world traffic management has made a big difference in dealing with the pollution and traffic jams caused by public transport. One simple intervention is to divert rickshaws to the less busy routes, or make certain areas out-of-bound for rickshaws,” Khan says.

SSP Jan stresses on three e’s: education, engineering and enforcement. “Education means teaching basics of traffic rules to our children at home and schools, using media and social media to educate the masses about traffic rules.”

“The engineering aspect covers the smart construction of roads, underpasses, flyovers and U-turns where they are needed,” he says. “Enforcement is the last resort. Unfortunately, it is seen by many as the first means of solving traffic problems,” he says.

The writer is a Peshawar-based freelance journalist. He has worked for Voice of America and the ICRC. Connect with him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ayusufzai