December 28, 2006	Thursday	Zilhaj 06, 1427

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LAHORE, Dec 27: The Punjab government is going to launch a pilot project of an integrated traffic system on Ferozepur Road in around nine moths to make it a broadway of international standard.

This was stated at a meeting presided over by Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi here on Wednesday.

According to official sources, the management plan will ultimately be implemented in the entire city that is also being modernised through projects like a mass transit traffic system, which includes a light rail service.

The pilot project costing an estimated Rs500 million will be launched soon. It will be completed by September next year.

“We have hired foreign consultants for the pilot project, which will be executed by three multinational companies,” sources said.

The sources said Ferozepur Road had been chosen for the pilot project because the government would integrate its modern traffic management system with the ring road. It will also be made part of a multi-billion rupees mass transit project, they said.

Ferozepur Road will have an underground rail system and become a part of the ring road. But there will be no overlapping because the pilot project will have detours, they said.

They said the project featured designing of inter-sections, international traffic signs, and road marking, dedicated bus lanes and a computerised control room attached with cameras and radars to record violations.

An authority will be created under a legal framework to ensure smooth flow of traffic in an integrated manner, they said, adding the system would then be replicated all over the city.

They said right now traffic was not being managed in an integrated manner as different agencies were handling different matters related to it. Traffic is a subject of police, and removing encroachments or creating parking lots is the responsibility of the district government, which is making it hard to control traffic in Lahore, they said.

Meanwhile, speaking at the meeting, the chief minister said a comprehensive action plan had been made to improve the traffic management system in the province.

Under the plan, he said modern methods of traffic management would be introduced in all urban centers in the province. He said traffic would be regulated through a separate police cadre.

He directed the officials concerned to integrate the working of all traffic related departments. They must ensure implementation of the news system through cooperation among all the related departments, he said.

The chief minister said problems relating to traffic were increasing in Lahore and the other big cities in the province and it had become imperative to resolve them on scientific lines. He said the better traffic management system would help improve economy and environment, enforce traffic laws and discipline cities.

He said under the pilot project, service roads on Ferozepur Road would be widened.

He directed Lahore Nazim Mian Amer Mehmood to eliminate encroachments because they were major hurdle in smooth flow of traffic on all roads. Parking arrangements should also be made to prevent traffic muddles and ensure proper use of roads, he said.

Planning and Development Chairman Suleman Ghani dilated upon different aspects of the traffic management plan.

The meeting was attended by IGP Ziaul Hasan Khan, Additional Chief Secretary Naguibullah Malik, Local Government Secretary Akhlaq Ahmad Tarar, Home Secretary Khusro Pervaiz, Communication Secretary Ahmad Yar Khan, Transport Secretary Agha Nadeem and other senior officials.