KARACHI, Sept 12: A number of major roads dug up for repairs as well as accumulated rainwater caused massive traffic jams on Monday in various localities of the city.

Traffic police officials deployed to control the traffic at the worst affected spots, appeared helpless in clearing the mess because every driver, trapped in the traffic jam, wanted to get out of it first. Many vehicles were openly violating traffic rules blocking passage of vehicles coming from opposite direction right under the nose of traffic police.

Many vehicles got trapped at traffic signals when other drivers tried to pass through the signals in a rush. Drivers of private cars, motorcycles, public transport appeared in a hurry without any concern of causing hardship to others. Lack of patience in drivers and lack of coordination between the city government, who took up repair of a large number of major arteries at the same time, and the traffic police were major factors of traffic mess on most of the roads.

Traffic jams were witnessed on Abul Hasan Isphahani Road, University Road, Nazimabad, Liaquatabad, I.I. Chundrigar Road, Fountain Chowk on Abdullah Haroon Road, Sohrab Goth, Jail Chowrangi, PIDC intersection on Dr Ziauddin Road to name a few of the worst affected.

Dumpers, water tankers and other heavy vehicular traffic further aggravated the traffic mess. Despite the ban on the movement of heavy vehicles and dumpers by the Sindh government, the violation continued with the alleged connivance or non-serious attitude of traffic police, who did not appear to strictly enforce the ban.

The traffic police officials deployed in Saddar, Boulten Market, M.A. Jinnah Road and other commercial areas usually do not stop the drivers from parking their vehicles in no-parking zones or stop them from parallel parking. The vehicles move at snail’s pace due to violation of parking zones or problem of double parking on Abdullah Haroon Road, Zaibunnisa Street, Shahrah-i-Iraq, Shahrah-i-Liaquat, M.A. Jinnah Road, I.I. Chundrigar Road, Sarwar Shaheed Road, S.M. Taufeeq Road in Liaquatabad and many parts of the old city area.

According to statistics provided by the police on Monday, the traffic police issued 36,288 tickets to motorcyclists for not wearing helmet. On the other hand, it issued only 3,298 tickets to errant drivers for over-speeding, violation of traffic signals or other traffic rules. They gave 1,059 tickets to bus drivers for allowing male passengers to travel in women’s compartments, and 127 drivers were apprehended for using cellular phones while driving. Police arrested 401 drivers under Section-99 of Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1965, he added.

It was a common sight that traffic police officials, instead of regulating the movement of vehicles and clearing the jams, intercept motorcyclists and issue them tickets. Many complaints were received from motorcyclists that they were given the option of paying Rs50 to avoid being challaned.