PESHAWAR, Nov 11: Out of order signals, road diversions and a lack of traffic management policy have been affecting the smooth flow of traffic in the city.

Traffic jams on every busy road in the city have become a permanent feature. Shoba Bazaar, Ashraf Road, Yakatoot, Kohat Road, Jamrood Road, Saddar Road, G.T. Road near the Bala Hisar Fort and Gulbahar Chowk are some of the areas where severe traffic jams are witnessed every day particularly at midday and in the afternoon.

In several busy localities either the traffic signals are not installed or the out of order traffic signals are not repaired, which hinder smooth flow of traffic.

Mian Iqbal Chowk in the cantonment area is one of the busiest intersections in the city, but there is neither a traffic signal nor any traffic police cop has been deputed here to regulate the traffic for the reason best known to the high officials of the department concerned.

Traffic near the Federal Investigation Agency office on The Mall moves at a snail’s pace as the traffic signal, which went out of order about three months ago, has not been repaired by the traffic police.

“I always find congested traffic in the morning when I go out to drop my children at their school. And the situation remains the same when I pick them up in the noon due to the out of order traffic signal,” a cantonment resident Ejaz Ahmad told Dawn.

“Not only the traffic signal was out of order at the chowk near the FIA office, no traffic policeman has either been assigned the task to regulate the traffic flow,” he lamented.

Road diversion in the old city areas also created added to the traffic problems. On several roads, the traffic police have erected barricades to make the road one-way to manage the traffic flow.

But these diversions have further worsened the situation as the vendors have expended their business by occupying the footpaths.

Even pedestrians can hardly move in the old city areas particularly before the Iftar time.

In a surprising move, the traffic police after the road expansion and repair campaign by the City Development and Municipal Department, erected an iron barricade on the busy Jamrood Road near the Gora Qabristan and left a very little space for the movement of heavy vehicles.

According to police, the reason for erecting the barricade is to check the route permits of public transport vehicles. But this decision has created problems for other vehicles as well.