Factors behind traffic mayhem on Saidpur Road

Sohail Rashid

RAWALPINDI, September 22, 2010: Chaos prevails on Saidpur Road, one of the major roads linking the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, throughout the day due to ever-growing encroachments and dumping of garbage on its both sides.

Open garbage dumps, a rickshaw stand and encroachments like pushcarts and food stalls have annexed almost half of the road and the remaining part is not enough for the smooth flow of two-way traffic. The traffic remains clogged on Saidpur Road, especially during peak hours.

“I cannot understand the logic behind dumping garbage on the main road. It threatens the health of people. It is also a barrier in the smooth flow of traffic,” said Shakeel Mirza, a resident of Saidpur Road. He also complained against the rickshaw stand on the main road.

Safdar Iqbal, a public transport driver, said that he daily passes through Saidpur Road three or four times and every time I find a massive traffic jam. “It is quite difficult to drive on Saidpur Road because of traffic rush. It takes more than half an hour to pass through the stretch of three kilometres due to encroachments,” he added.

Qadeer Ahmad, a shopkeeper, said: “An even more critical situation is observed in the afternoon rush hour when traffic remains clogged for a long time. Ambulances get stuck in the traffic mayhem quite frequently.”

Pedestrians too seemed angry over the mushroom growth of encroachments on the sidewalks.

“Nobody can walk on the footpath full of encroachments like chicken cages and stalls,” said Ammad Razzaq. “Strict action should be taken against these encroachers for smooth flow of traffic. Garbage dumps should also be removed from the road in order to maintain the minimum standard of cleanliness,” he added.