Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) has identified 21 more points for crossing bridges on the 27 km long Islamabad Expressway to ensure the safety of pedestrians and the free flow of traffic.
The traffic congestion is increasing in the federal capital which has made life tough not only for the commuters but even more for the pedestrians. The lack of crossing pedestrian bridges in Islamabad has increased the number of accidents considerably. Islamabad Expressway is a major 27-km long artery that carries a heavy flow of traffic on a regular basis where the need for pedestrian bridges and underpasses has significantly increased in the past couple of years.
ITP Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Farrukh Rashid has asked the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to build 21 additional pedestrian bridges and underpasses at the identified spots from Faisal Mosque to Rawat. He told that this is the only way to accommodate the huge flow of traffic and a large number of population on both sides of the road. There are several critical patches along the Expressway such as Sohan to Kak Bridge where maximum public movement takes place and in recent past, has recorded quite a few cases of accidents. At the moment, only four overhead bridges are carrying the burden of the population of the twin cities which is certainly not enough to accommodate thousands of people commuting on an everyday basis. It is pertinent to mention here that Expressway is an inter-provincial artery which requires immediate attention by the authorities for its ever-increasing traffic issues and pedestrian’s safety.
On the other hand, the commuters and the pedestrians of the twin cities have insisted on the need of constructing similar bridges on other major routes such as Kashmir Highway, Murree road and Park road for the public safety. Due to a large distance between the two bridges, people often tend to use the short cut way of crossing the roads which result in injuries and casualties. In this regard, the public also needs to ensure their own safety and not use threatening practices such as making way through the dividers or green belts. The signal-free corridor system has increased the distances yet ensures public safety. Therefore, it’s better to use a longer route rather than making your own shortcuts which put everyone’s life in danger. In a similar connection, the broken dividers on Kashmir Highway need maintenance to avoid accidents in the future.
In this matter, the CDA’s spokesman said that six bridges have already been constructed for the movement of pedestrians and motorbikes on Islamabad Expressway whereas four more similar projects are likely to be accomplished by the end of this year. It will help achieve the purpose of the signal-free corridor on the major artery of the federal capital. Moreover, a crossing bridge has been built near Shakarparian on the Kashmir Highway to facilitate the nearby residents. Another bridge has been constructed by the Metro Bus Service near weekly bazar to accommodate the public movement. Perhaps as many as for more similar bridges will be constructed within a distance of nearly 15 km which will help in the smooth flow of traffic.
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