By 2007, NESPAK prepared a feasibility report for TEPA for the canal project. TEPA, EPA and the Punjab government approved of this report and declared that they started their work on the basis of this report.
However the report is highly contradictory.
It shows present conditions of the Canal Road (2007) as being mediocre. On a table it gives the time taken to travel between any two points on the canal. For instance from Canal View to Jinnah Hospital takes around eight minutes according to this report. It however rates the ‘level of service’ as D, meaning “approaching unstable flow”.
Similarly it is expected to take about 10.5 minutes travelling from Dharampura to Harbanspura, with the level of service rated E (unstable flow). Of course in existing conditions the Canal Road is considered to be of two lanes only.
With a three-lane carriageway, NESPAK has shown its results in another table. It has however compared the difference shown over the years.
In 2010, the level of service from Canal View to Jinnah Hospital is rated at B (reasonably free flow), in 2015, it drops down to C (stable flow), and stays at C till 2020.
From New Campus to Jail Road, which has the highest volume of traffic, the level of service starts at C (stable flow), in 2010. It drops down to D (approaching unstable flow) at 2015 and further down to E (unstable flow) in 2020.
The table even shows that traffic at Jail Road to The Mall underpass may reach the level of F (forced or breakdown flow) in 2020 if a three-lane carriageway is built. In fact all traffic flow levels in 2020 fall between B and D.
Clearly it shows that a third lane will not improve the traffic situation and cause more congestion in the long run. How then can TEPA using this report to support the project?
