arachi’s traffic landscape is a lethal mix of poorly designed roads, ineffective enforcement and a culture of disregard for traffic rules.

Around 500 lives are lost in road accidents in Karachi every year. In 2019, the Asian Development Bank pointed out alarming traffic congestion in the city as average with speeds on some roads dropping to 10-15 kilometres/ hour. The city witnessed 12,000 road accidents in 2018. Most of those were blamed on inadequate public transport, forcing 80 percent of the residents to rely on private vehicles. Besides, 40pc of the roads were in poor condition.

By 2024, traffic police had noticed a significant further deterioration. Key factors contributing to this, they said, were a rapid increase in the number of motorbikes that had added to congestion and accidents. Nine months into this year, there have been 600 serious accidents that have left 350 people dead. Another 650 have been injured.

The Traffic Police DIG says the driving patterns and associated risks largely depend on the road infrastructure. Karachi’s roads, he says, are fraught with dangerous design flaws. He says poorly designed curves cause many accidents. When vehicles enter the curves too fast, the drivers can lose control so that the vehicles skid or rollover. Limited visibility around curves can cause head-on collisions or crashes with the obstacles when the drivers fail to adjust their speed or trajectory.

Road engineers say that inadequate road tilt can cause water accumulation and loss of traction. This can cause vehicles to drift or slide towards the outer edge of the road. This also increases the risk of rollover accidents, especially for heavy or overloaded vehicles.

Improperly banked curves can cause vehicles to slide towards the outer edge. Abrupt corrections by drivers can then lead to loss of control or collisions. Dangerous road geometry is often exacerbated by inadequate signage or markings, poor lighting or visibility, excessive speed, driver error or distraction and poor vehicle condition.

Dr Noman Ahmed, the dean of Faculty of Architecture and Sciences at the NED University, says: “Sometimes when attention is not paid to details while designing roads, the driver’s perpendicular view is blocked. This can cause deadly accidents.”

He says that this happens due to insufficient clearance between buildings, trees or other obstacles and the road edge. Poorly designed intersections – where buildings or obstacles are too close to the road – afford insufficient setback distances. This design flaw has been blamed for many accidents on the streets of several housing societies, including some posh areas along M9.

Many city roads are also plagued by perilous potholes. This problem is not limited to worn out roads and streets; some of the recently carpeted roads too have developed potholes of various sizes following the monsoon rains. A periodic report issued by the Traffic Police in September highlighted 34 particularly dangerous spots. Most of those have now been fixed.

Karachi roads are frequently dug up by some service provider almost as soon as they are carpeted. Dr Noman says the utilities must recognise the right of way of the roads department and coordinate their activities with its designated officials.

Dr Noman also says: “Regular road assessments enable proactive maintenance, extending the lifespan of roads while ensuring safety. The annual review addresses minor issues; the five-year review provides a comprehensive evaluation. If necessary, the top layer is replaced, protecting the underlying structure and maintaining road quality.” Such an approach minimises the need for costly repairs, reduces traffic disruptions and ensures optimal road conditions, he says.

There is a dangerous S-shaped turning on the high-speed, signal-free Shara-i-Faisal between Hotel Mehran and the SIUT (Regent Plaza). Speeds over 50 km/h are deadly on this track. Driving without a seat belt, which many tend to ignore, raises the risk of serious injury in case of an accident.

When speeding drivers enter this treacherous stretch, they tend to lose control of their vehicles. The vehicles can then somersault, overturn or slam into concrete barriers. Dr Noman proposes ‘visual calming‘ to overcome the problem. This requires transverse lines as well as some longitudinal lines like centre lines and edge lines, to alert drivers to changing road conditions and emphasise the need for caution. This creates a powerful psychological impact, influencing driving behaviour to reduce speeds and improve safety. Alongside effective signage, speed limit signs, warning and guide signs and very ‘bright lights’ “ahead of the exact spot” would contribute to reduced speeds. The idea is to discourage throttling speed before people approach this section.

Road engineers also mention the ICI intersection on MT Khan Road, Drigh Road junction on Shara-i-Faisal, the unguarded U-turn at National Highway Malir, and the Hub River Road as spots requiring immediate attention to save lives. Another hazard is the fast lane access to the Drigh Road bridge leading to Rashid Minhas Road. “The site required an underpass, not a bridge,” says an engineer.

Well designed signals at the intersections can significantly improve road safety. This is also true of roundabouts and traffic islands.

DIG Cheema says there are 92 traffic signals across the city. He advocates the installation of signals to cover 273 unregulated intersections, which he says pose a road safety hazard. He says besides the immediate risk, such un-signalised intersections foster a culture of not stopping/ slowing down at intersections.

Penalties and violation tickets are an important tool for instilling traffic discipline among drivers. Only 3,500-4,000 tickets are issued daily in Karachi (compared to 30,000-35,000 in Lahore).

The traffic police have recommended installing ANPR cameras for remote ticketing at 30 locations in Karachi. “The installation should not take too long once we get the approval and the funds,” says DIG Cheema.

Traffic Management Centres monitor and manage traffic conditions, incidents and infrastructure. In Karachi, these centres are located at the Civic Centre, Central Police Office and the office of the DIG Traffic. The Traffic Police are currently evaluating the sophisticated adaptive/ intelligent traffic signal control in District East for potential deployment across the city.

Social evolution is of pivotal importance in the successful implementation of any traffic improvement scheme. Unfortunately, some drivers put their and other people’s lives at risk by insisting on defying one-way restrictions and violating other traffic rules.

Enforcement is also not helped by inadequate staff strength. “We are currently managing traffic with around 5,700 personnel rather than the sanctioned strength of 9,000,” says DIG Cheema.

Traffic on some of the widest roads in the city is routinely held back on account of encroachments as the first lane and the footpaths are taken by all kinds of hawkers and vendors during the day. In the evening, it turns into parking space. This only increases the risk for pedestrian-vehicle accidents, as people are forced to walk on the busy roads.

Tragically, there has been little sustained effort by any of the anti-encroachment departments of the KDA, the CAA or the Cantonment Boards that have jurisdiction over these roads.

It appears that the Traffic Police and Traffic Engineering Departments are not consulted before approval is granted for large real estate projects. This causes bottlenecks and there are occasions when even emergency vehicles cannot access certain places.

The writer is a senior reporter at The News