LAHORE – Commuters using Ferozepur Road on a daily basis are facing numerous problems owing to the diversions created for the construction of the Kalma Chowk flyover, Pakistan Today has learnt.
The road has been barricaded while one of its sides has been blocked completely, which starts from Qaddafi Stadium to Kalma Chowk. According to Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning Agency (TEPA) figures, Ferozepur Road used to accommodate more than 0.25 million vehicles daily. All sort of commuters used this road, which connects Kasur Road to Qartaba Chowk almost covering half of the city. Many schools, colleges and offices are located along the road, especially near Kalma Chowk. According to the project, Ferozepur Road is supposed to be blocked for eight months.
Diversion routes: The heavy traffic flow on one of the largest roads of the city is being diverted to Qaddafi Stadium Area on small roads, which cuts through the hockey stadium and the football stadium pouring the traffic flow on to Main Boulevard Road, Gulberg between Centre Point and Mini Golf. To make the diversion route successful, authorities have made a temporary pathway by bulldozing pavements at Centre Point making it a junction allowing the traffic to turn right towards Kalma Chowk.
The second diversion route directs the traffic flow on to the service lane of Ferozepur Road towards the Daewoo Lahore Terminal. “No one knows how long this project will take to complete, it’s just torturous to pass through this part of the city at this time of the day”, citizen Ali Asghar said. “They can come up with some other way out rather than this extensive route”, citizen Ahsan Humayun said.
Temporary Junction: The temporary junction made to link the diverted traffic back towards Kalma Chowk forces the traffic flow to intersect through Main Boulevard Road, Gulberg, which is becoming accident prone due to the fast traffic flow coming from Kalma Chowk. Traffic, after passing through Kamla Chowk, tends to speed up while approaching Liberty Roundabout. The junction allows the traffic to cut through the main road stopping traffic pouring in from Kamla Chowk. Such junctions demand a full-time duty of a traffic warden to control the traffic flow on both sides.
Commuters forced to violate laws: Routine commuters, feeling agitated by lengthy diversion routes, resort to other illegal but quicker routes on grounds that the diversion routes are vaguely planned. Commuters are seen trying to slip through the blockades saying that the planned routes are too extensive. People are turning right towards Kalma Chowk from end of the Ferozopur Road service lane.
Motorcycles and cycles are seen turning towards Kalma Chowk despite barriers and deployment of policemen. The traffic flow is quite heavy and the presence of policemen does not help the situation to any extent. “First, they increase petrol prices and then they expect us to follow lengthy alternate routes. I’m a poor man, I can only afford this way”, citizen Muhammad Amanat said before slipping in through the barrier.
Traffic Warden Farhan said that it was almost impossible to stop motorcyclists from violating the signals due to the heavy flow of traffic. “It does not stop here; you can try stopping one but the rest of them always get away”, he said. Lahore City Traffic Officer (CTO) Captain (r) Mobin claimed that traffic officials were not facing any problems in managing traffic. The CTO said that three wardens were deployed at the temporary junction at rush hours at Centre Point. He said that traffic police had conducted surveys in this regard. Mobin said that he was visiting all diversion points and alternate routes for vigilance on a daily basis.
