LAHORE: The office of the Chief Traffic Officer Lahore has issued a traffic & parking plan for the PSL final set to take place on Sunday March 5 (tomorrow).
The notification comes amidst cricket lovers expressing concern regarding where they will be parking their vehicles and whether any roads will be blocked for security purposes. The government had earlier clarified that life will go on as normal in the city and no curfew or road blocks would be implemented.
The plan has called for FC College, the area underneath Muslim town flyover, Liberty market, and the LDA parking plaza to be used as parking lots for the duration of the game.
The traffic police have issued a notification that says vehicles coming from Mughalpura, Mall road, Jail road, and Canal road will utilize Forman Christian College as their parking area. Meanwhile viewers coming from Moazang, Ichra and Wahdat road will park underneath the Muslim town flyover. Cars and bikes arriving from Thokar Niaz Baig, Wapda Town, Garden Town, Kahna, Kot Lakhpat and Model Town have been directed to park in the liberty parking lot via Kalma Chowk center point. People coming in from Walton and DHA will also have to park at the liberty parking lot except they will turn towards it from Hussain chowk. Those coming from Cantt and Gulberg will have to park as far away as the LDA plaza. Parking arrangements are also being made in Barkat market according to the traffic police.
The traffic police also issued instructions to avoid any mismanagement asking that everyone carry their original CNIC along with PSL final tickets with them. Rickshaws, Qingqis, and any vehicles with CNG will also not be allowed into any parking area.
The instructions have raised eyebrows regarding Law Minister Rana Sanaullah’s earlier claims that the city would operate as usual on the day of the match. The using of liberty market, Muslim town flyover, and a chartered university makes it clear that the city’s movements and operations will be strained.
This becomes even clearer by the traffic police’s issuance of alternative routes for the day of the final. Commuters will have to use Walton road to go towards Cantt and Mughalpura coming from Kahan and Kot Lakhpat. Similarly traffic officials have marked certain roads and areas open for traffic. These include Canal road towards Zahoor Elahi road, Ferozpur road via Muslim town flyover, Firdous market, MM Alam road, Mini market and Main Boulevard.
