MM Alam road is where Lahore’s posh restaurants are located and is thus, the most crowded area in Lahore as well. During peak hours at Hussein chowk; it becomes a row of cars trying to maneuver into a never ending circle choking all exit/entry points.
First of all, a lesson for Lahori’s as to how to drive around a roundabout. Roundabout are a very effective means of ensuring signal free movement however; there is a simple rule for using the roundabout which is: “The car coming on your right, has first right to use it, you are suppose to wait until there is adequate space available and then move the car into the circle and quickly take the exit without slowing down.” That is how the roundabout ensures smooth traffic flow and the circle never gets jammed. It is of no use if all the cars from all exits and entry are trying to get in all at once.
Secondly what on earth was the LDA thinking of allowing a cinema to open up in the most congested road of Lahore. This cinema is located right on the main entry to MM Alam road, and somehow, the cinema company got permission to open up but what they din’t realize was that “usually”, people who come to cinema use cars which need to be parked somewhere for atleat 3 hours. The subject plaza has limited underground parking which does not fulfill the requirement hence the road is use to park the cars disturbing the inflow of traffic from liberty which brings the movement to a grinding halt when the movie starts or ends.
No amount of traffic control by the wardens can cope with the mess and the sad part is that it will continue like this and the Government will one day announce to build an overhead bridge, which is there solution to every problem in the city rather than strictly enforcing rules of having ample parking space to all entertainment places such as shopping malls, cinemas, leisure places, etc.
I request people using the roundabout at wateen chowk, liberty chowk, and hussain chowk to use the roundabout the way it was meant to be used. If only the authorities would put up traffic signs explaining to the people to allow the car on the right to go first, the people will themselves start complying.
To conclude; I would like to add that most of the traffic problems are not due to the driving habits of the people, and you cannot blame the people if they are not aware. It is the job of the authorities to train the license holders on how to drive, enforce on the developers of such entertainment places to have ample parking space such as in shopping malls in Dubai.
Considering the flow of traffic at the roundabout, it is humanly impossible to observe the rule and cross it within a reasonable time. This is because of extremely high number of vehicles coming from all directions. For example, a vehicle trying to take the 3rd exit (toward Firdous Market) coming from Liberty would just keep waiting for his turn because the flow of vehicles coming from the right (Firdous market) would never stop. The roundabout has clearly become out of date (for at least 10 years)
Ask someone about how to use indicators on roundabout 🙂 Phr pta lage ga how many licenses hold their worth.
Ignorance of law is no excuse. If authorities are not doing their work we the people sh
in developed countries these things are taught before issuing drivers license, here people learn em after (if they’ve go common sense or visited or some visitor of a foreign country told em).
Easiest solution- Install traffic lights at roundabouts. Or keep a traffic warden there to direct the traffic.