Serving a population of over 180 million, the transportation system in Pakistan is still passing through developmental stages. It hasn’t yet achieved that much level of excellence and maturity as you see in the developed and more advanced nation states of the world, like the US, the UK, China, Japan, and Germany. Owing to various structural, developmental, management and organizational issues, the situation on the roads is getting worse. Traffic jams and fatal road accidents have become an oft-witnessed phenomenon across the majority of the roads loaded with heavy traffic. Such unfortunate incidents not only entail the loss of precious public property, but also claim the lives of many innocent citizens. For addressing the issues associated with the Pakistani traffic system, first you need to find out and enlist all the prevailing problems and then solve them in the best possible way. Following are some of the obvious and towering traffic problems in Pakistan:
Lack of Infrastructure:
The biggest problem with our national transportation mechanism is that of the insufficient infrastructure which falls very short of meeting the growing demands of the ever increasing traffic pool on the roads. Every year, a fairly large number of new vehicles are thrust to the already overburdened network without creating some extra capacity in it for accommodating the influx. The obvious outcome of such a structural deficiency is the miserable scene that you often happen to witness around you. The only solution is to take immediate measures for the development of additional infrastructure.
Faulty and Less Durable Constructions:
The second most serious problem encountered by the driving public on the roads is that of the low standard and less durability of the construction work. This is partly owed to the insufficiency of developmental fund and partly to the negligence observed on the part of the contractors. The construction companies that undertake such projects make use of less durable material and inappropriate engineering techniques to save some extra cash. That is why majority of the roads in the country are almost always seen as under construction. It, in reality, not only causes loss to the economy but also poses serious hindrance to the traffic flow, often leading to gruesome accidents.
Ignorance to Traffic Rules:
The majority of the unwanted incidents occurring on the roads are caused by hasty, unruly and risky driving practice. People get driving licenses through the recommendations of influential people (i.e. their favorite patronizing authorities) without even getting prior training. Such ill-trained drivers are liable to make fatal mistakes, thus putting into danger their own lives as well as those of other innocent citizens sharing the common route. Secondly, careless attitude is also noticed among the general public who only make haste while crossing the road from any point they find feasible for themselves. For successfully tackling this demanding problem, the concerned authorities have to run large scale awareness campaigns and work for the betterment of the corrupt system.
Polluting Environment:
Increasing environmental pollution and consequent global warming have become a topic for hot debate of the day. Considering it in Pakistani perspective, the condition has attained more gravity. Owing to the lack and inadequacy of check and balance in the country, vehicles are often seen emitting large quantities of hazardous smoke. The vehicles owners do not pay due heed to the maintenance of their automotives and inflict the public (especially roadside dwellers) with life-threatening diseases, such as cancer. It is not just the smoke that causes trouble; noise pollution is equally painful and deserves considerable attention. When noise exceeds certain bearable level (160db), it results in deafness (loss of hearing) in the affected individuals.
Mismanagement & Corruption:
Corruption is considered to be one of the most heinous issues that are threatening our national peace and prosperity. Mismanagement is also posing a serious obstacle on the way to the ultimate prosperity of the country. Both of these social evils have also deeply penetrated in the traffic police department. The officials assigned with the task of enforcing traffic laws often let the laws be broken in exchange for a little monetary benefit. When drivers are caught violating the rules, they offer a proportion of Challan fee as bribe and escape the legal punishment.
Besides these issues, there are also a multitude of other menaces connected with our transportation system. Owing to the gravity of these problems, they will prove to be even more troublesome if you leave them unchecked. On the other hand, if serious efforts are made, it will take only a little time, courage and determination to root out all of these issues.
