KARACHI, April 15: Besides lack of civic sense among motorists, corruption in traffic police, encroachments along roadsides, VIP movement in Karachi, power cuts, dug-up roads, ongoing works and political agitation are the main causes of traffic mess on roads.

During rallies and demonstrations, traffic signals are generally switched off and the traffic is managed manually.

District Officer (Traffic Signal) Javed Ali Khan said four to eight hours long load-shedding also caused these signals to be operated manually. He said for VIP movements signals were deliberately turned slower. Major cause of non-functional traffic signals is encroachment, VIP movement and load-shedding, he added.

The DO said they had plans and policies but implementation was lacking. He said the city had also a number of signals, which were functional, but citizens did not abide by traffic laws and violate signals owing to lack of civic sense.

Some motorists say traffic officials provide transporters opportunity to violate signals so that they could get hold of them and demand bribe.

Section Officer, Traffic Police Zone-IV, Zulfiqar Hussain, however, denied such allegations. He said it was the public lacking civic sense and the drivers of public transport who could stop their vehicles anywhere on the road to get maximum passengers.

The DO (Traffic Signal) said the city government had a complaint centre 021-9230652 working during office hours while Siemens Traffic Control system had round-the-clock complaint centre 021-2560592 for signal quarries.

According to the traffic control system’s monthly report about traffic signals complaints, 58 damages had been registered during the last month. These included complaints about problems faced during routine maintenance; due to VIP movements; encroachments by bus owners; beggars; drug addicts and wrong car parking.

Besides, the DO said schools and colleges without the provision of parking space leave students and their parents to occupy two lanes of main roads, which create traffic mess during opening and closing hours.—PPI