RAWALPINDI: In addition to launching a social media campaign claiming “smooth flow of traffic” in busy areas and praising the performance of the traffic police personnel, the traffic police issued a “advisory” to commuters and drivers on Sunday, urging them to abide by traffic laws and avoid making needless trips.
In their social media campaign, the traffic police displayed wardens directing traffic as well as pedestrians crossing Raja Bazaar, Fawara Chowk, CPO Chowk, DAV College Road, Liaquat Road, and other nearby roadways.
However, on the ground, things were very different because of the traffic, which made it difficult for drivers and even pedestrians to cross the highways.
The metro bus track between Faizabad and Islamabad is undergoing repairs, which has resulted in traffic jams on Murree Road and slow moving cars at Mareer Chowk, DAV College Road, Cantt neighborhoods, Satellite Town’s Commercial Market, and other locations.
Traffic cops remind drivers to abide by the law, particularly by not parking in the improper spot.
“Metro bus track is being repaired near Survey of Pakistan and one-and-a-half lanes of the road are occupied by workers, resultantly, traffic is moving at a very slow pace,” the traffic police staff told the chief traffic officer.
Given the possible high volume of traffic on Peshawar Road, Mall Road, Saddar Cantt, Murree Road, Raja Bazaar, and nearby roads, the City Traffic Police have issued an advise urging everyone to abide by traffic laws, particularly to avoid parking in the wrong spot.
A spokesman for the traffic police stated on Sunday that the weekend, Christmas, and wedding season buying by locals was likely to cause an exceptional rush in marketplaces.
Additional staff have been instructed to standby while monitoring from the control room continues, per the CTO’s directions.
As in the past, the CTO gave orders to step up operations against unauthorized parking and encroachments that impede traffic flow.
According to the spokesperson, the CTO instructed the circle in-charges and concerned DSPs to guarantee efficient traffic flow. Squads of forklifters were instructed to patrol constantly.
According to the spokesperson, traffic on Peshawar Road, Mall Road, Cantt, Murree Road, Liaquat Road, Raja Bazaar, and nearby roads slows down during rush hour.
There is more traffic than normal on other highways and in the city’s commercial districts because it is the weekend.
The police advised drivers to stay away from improper parking, follow lane and line regulations, and keep a safe space between cars.
According to the traffic police advise, circle and sector in-charges have been instructed to stay on the ground during peak hours in order to maintain traffic flow and offer the public all the amenities they can.
The closing of Bank Road for parking and traffic flow appears to have contributed to the problem of traffic congestion in the city regions, as drivers shifted their shopping habits from Saddar to the city districts.
Murree Road, Liaquat Bagh, DAV College Road, Iqbal Road, and a few connecting roads were all experiencing bumper-to-bumper traffic.
According to a traffic police official, encroachments—hawkers and sellers that block roads and major crossroads and impede traffic flow—are the biggest source of congestion.
Women and children were inconvenienced by the hundreds of drivers caught in traffic, while some of them looked to the traffic wardens for help.
According to a driver who identified himself as Asif, “things would have turned out differently if the city had been cleared of encroachments with wardens aggressively enforcing traffic laws.”
A mixture machine fell in a manhole, causing traffic to become trapped on Harley Street. Efforts to clear the road lasted until this report was filed.
