Traffic is the most problematic issue of our country. No organisation, sub standard vehicles, smoke emitting cars, violating traffic rules and what not. One big reason is burgeoning rush of traffic specially in metropolis like Karachi. The roads of Karachi are expanding to cope up with this rush and leaving inches of footpaths on both sides. Footpath is meant to be used by pedestrians but here in Karachi it’s used as a part of road and vehicle owner feel their onus to use footpath too either by driving on it or by parking. The rest of the footpath is occupied by trespassing shops whose owners also consider footpath in their shop’s vicinity as their property. After all that if any part of so called footpath is left, it’s used by banks and corporations to place their huge generators that covers the entire pavement and more over produces a booming sound. 

Because of all this occupation, the pedestrians are left with no other option but to walk on roads and as a repercussion, accidents occur and even after the that the responsibility is blatantly thrown on people walking as they should have walked on footpath but neither the culprits nor the authorities bother to tell people where to walk on footpaths? I think rigorous law enforcement and some sense of civil duty is needed if this mannerism has to be upended. One should realize that roads are for driving and footpaths are for people on foot. 

ABDUL MOIZ MALIK,  

Karachi, April 11.