August 01, 2007	Wednesday	Rajab 16, 1428

KARACHI, July 31: Unless concrete steps are taken to enforce traffic discipline, implement driving rules and remove illegal carparks, loading and unloading of vehicles, encroachments and jaywalkers, ill-planned flyovers, underpasses and road repairs would fail to bring about any improvement in the city’s transport system.

The public transport system is changing for the worse with each passing day as the authorities concerned have left the helpless passengers at the mercy of transport operators who are fleecing them without the slightest compunction.

The low-salaried and over-worked traffic police personnel do not hesitate to take bribe (with fluctuating rates) compromising on all types of traffic violations. This encourages transport operators to run vehicles according to the way they want to resulting in illegal parking, overloading, over speeding and traffic signal violations which have become common in every corner of the city.

Buses, minibuses and coaches compete with one another when comes to over-loading. Passengers are stuffed like anything in public transport. Women are generally denied their right to travel in order to accommodate maximum number of male passengers in the women compartment. One can travel on Manghopir Road from Rexer Lane, Golimar to Orangi, Site or any other road in public transport to see the helplessness of woman passengers in the evening.

Rahim Gul, a minibus driver, when asked why he prefers not to pick the women passengers, he said: “We can accommodate about 20 men in the women compartment (generally with a seating capacity for seven women).” As compared to men, women wasted more time in boarding and alighting from the vehicle, he said.