- Illegally parked vehicles, roadside stalls hampering traffic flow
LAHORE
RANA HAIDER
Lahore’s Circular Road leading from Azadi Chowk Signal Free Junction to Lorry Adda {General Bus Stand}is clogged with vans, buses and roadside stalls, mocking the city district government’s claim that the flyover would ensure smooth flow of traffic in the area.
Drivers of vans and buses park their vehicles on the road with impunity, while roadside stalls set up to cater to citizens who frequent the newly-constructed flyover further hamper the flow of traffic.
When contacted, Khawaja Ahmad Hassan told Pakistan Today that a traffic jam only occurs during peak hours, adding that 0.25 million cars benefit from the flyover every day.
“The government will soon start a crackdown against illegally parked vehicles and illegal roadside stalls in the area,” he said.
The 2.53 kilometer-long Azadi Chowk flyover was constructed by the Punjab government in record time of 165 days and was supposed to ensure smooth flow of traffic but the traffic problem still exists.
Shahbaz Khan, a resident of the area told Pakistan Today, “Due to buses parked at the road leading from the junction to Lorry Adda the traffic flow is very slow, often leading to traffic jams.”
“If the parking of buses goes unchecked, traffic jams in the area will become a norm once again,” Shahbaz said, alleging that the government will then once again come up with another “mega project to disseminate the traffic mess”.
When asked why buses were parked on the road, bus driver Tanveer Shah told Pakistan Today, “All buses for this route are parked here. It is not our problem if the road is blocked because the bus owners have paid a parking fee to park the vehicles here.”
Another resident Mudassir Baloch blamed citizens for turning Azadi Chowk flyover into a ‘picnic spot’, due to which many roadside food stalls have sprung up, blocking the roads, while adding, “Unless traffic wardens do not do their duty, no amount of flyovers can curb the traffic mess.”
