LAHORE, Nov 3: The city traffic came to a halt from 12 to 5pm on Monday because of protests by lawyers and political parties as part of ‘black day’ activities on The Mall, Dawn witnessed.

At least four Rescue 1122 ambulances were stuck in and around The Mall owing to traffic closure, a source in the emergency service told Dawn.

Officials of the city traffic police as well as the operations police closed The Mall between PMG Chowk and Governor’s House for traffic to accommodate a lawyers’ rally at around 12:30pm.

Later, the section of The Mall between State Bank-Lahore High Court Chowk and PMG Chowk was closed to accommodate the rallies of the Pakistan Muslim League-N, Pakistan Tehrik Insaaf, Khaksar Tehrik and Jamat-i-Islami.

The rallies caused traffic jams on The Mall, Queens Road, Lower Mall, Circular Road, Devis Road, Fan Road, Lytton Road, Macleod Road, Lawrence Road, Egerton Road, Abbot Road, Temple Road, Ravi Road and Canal Road.

Owing to huge traffic on city roads, wardens switched off the signals and handled the traffic manually.

The motorists resented the traffic officers for keeping them in dark about road closures. A police handout said two superintendent of police (SPs), six DSPs, 34 senior traffic wardens and 327 traffic wardens besides six patrolling squads were on duty in and around The Mall. The handout claimed that officials kept diverting the traffic through diversions.

Public transport from and to railway station and the southern part of the city was also diverted to other roads and people faced difficulties.

“I do not oppose lawyers for their right of protest but ordinary people suffer a lot when roads are closed for traffic,” said Mustafa Ali Khan, a doctor.

He said even one hour road blockade disturbed the whole traffic flow and and it took at least two to three hours to bring the traffic in flow.

Students of Government College University, Islamia College Civil Lines, National College of Arts, Punjab University, Cathedral School suffered due to the traffic mess.

Patients and their attendants, who wanted to reach and leave Mayo Hospital, also faced a great deal of inconvenience.

A Rescue 1122 ambulance travelling from Shahdara to Mayo Hospital with a patient stuck near Data Ganj Baksh shrine for at least 30 minutes.

Similarly, three more ambulances were also stuck in the traffic mess for 15 to 20 minutes, which were dispatched to handle road accident emergencies.

Though the wardens were on duty at most of signals and crossings, heavy traffic flow made it difficult for them to prevent blockades. Dawn observed small blockades on Canal Road between Shah Di Khoi and Campus Under-Pass, Jail Road, near Kalma Chowk, Barkat Market Chowk and Liberty Chowk.