ISLAMABAD - The ad nauseam version financial constraints for every stalled development work of the city may lead to some incidents in ‘2019’ if appropriate action was not initiated for installation of traffic related road furniture on the major avenues and thoroughfares which had constantly been pointed out by Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) over the years.
These road’s fundamental components including traffic signs and signage, warning boards, zebra-crossings, lane-markings and signal lights do not only inculcate a traffic sense among the citizens but also help traffic police in effective enforcement of rules and regulations in the city. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report (published in 2013) road accidents will become the fifth major cause of deaths by 2030. Children, pedestrians, cyclists and older people are among the most vulnerable of road users.
ITP’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Furrukh Rashid confirmed APP that the department had written more than 2,000 letters to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and indicated the several areas across the city for placing these traffic tools and signs.
He regretted the apparent lack of response over the matter and called for strong coordination among two entities to rectify the current situation. Linking the traffic rules enforcement with the road furniture, he deplored that the missing facility was a main hurdle behind weak implementation of commutation laws.
He said less warning boards undermined the ITP’s efficiency and hindered the traffic personnel from issuing traffic tickets to the violators without warning. He underlined the need for installation of such a facility so that the latter could not challenge the violation.
“How can a commuter learn the speed limit on the commuting road without a warning board about speed-limit,” he questioned.
He said it is time to start giving warning through boards as the practice had been endorsed worldwide. Out of total 83, only 40 per cent signals were working while 60 per cent were obsolete, he added. When contacted the CDA, it informed that the agency was well aware of the issue and now the matter had been shifted to Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) which was currently facing funding issues. MCI’s Director Road and Maintenance Fateh Mako said they had worked out various estimates which were in process but disagreement between the CDA and MCI was hampering the process to execute the plans.
He said the estimates had been approved by the Mayor Office but they could not materialize due to lack of resources. The country’s major traffic force National highways and Motorway Police said around 15000-16000 people die in Pakistan annually due to traffic accidents.