LAHORE: Motorists and other road users continued to face the ordeal of gridlocks on Wednesday as wardens at most places failed to prove equal to the task of ensuring effective traffic management thanks to ‘haphazard planning’.

Countless vehicles could be seen either stuck or moving at a snail’s place on arteries, link roads and even streets of residential and commercial centres, exposing the official claims of putting in place an exhaustive traffic plan. Wednesday’s situation, according to some people, was as bad as it was on Tuesday when first of the PSL semifinals was played at Gaddafi Stadium.

“There were wailing ambulances and other vehicles jostling for space on every road and street in the afternoon. The situation was exacerbated by the fact that even the passages least expected to be blocked (say road from Faisal Town to Barkat Market), had containers and barricades and the diversions left the contiguous streets clogged,” deplored a motorist who went through the grind.

It seemed, he said, people were going everywhere and reaching nowhere and there was the mad rush to be at the intended destinations. “At one point one couldn’t help think these are indeed ubiquitous signs of a nation in desperation...,” he said.

The traffic situation was so pathetic that the plan to manage it through an additional force of the wardens proved futile. The Canal Road, Jail Road, Ferozepur Road and adjoining roads were badly hit, as were Ichhra, Shadman, Kalma Chowk, Wahdat Road, Mozang and Garhi Shahu.

One of the major factors behind this situation was said to be the inability of the wardens to provide alternative routes after closure of the main roads for providing security cover to the PSL cricket matches. The diversion plan was devised well ahead of the matches but it remained on paper only.

The commuters complained that the traffic coming from Thokar Niaz Baig and Faisal Town towards Ferozepur Road to reach The Mall was diverted to the narrow streets and roads in the residential colonies, making people wait for hours to reach their destinations.

There were also complaints about a lack of proper arrangements for the motorists coming from Harbanspura or Shalimar using the Lahore Canal. It was equally tough out there for those coming from Mozang Chungi via Jail Road to Gulberg. There were long queues of vehicles on Jail Road.

“Although the traffic wardens were trying their best at some places to manage the rush and help people out but they largely failed to regulate the traffic,” said a commuter who added that the motorists coming from Kahna were diverted towards Walton Road to reach The Mall and other areas but the sea of vehicles made it all look a daunting task to reach destinations.

“The government seemed desperate to conduct the matches but like last year, it failed to make proper arrangements for people to go about their routine activities this time round as well. True we need to have restoration of cricket and other such activities but this should not come at the cost of a vast majority of citizens,” said a motorist.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2018