The number of motorbikes on the roads of Punjab has gone past 15.7 million, hence becoming a nightmare situation for the drivers.
For every car on the road, there are 9 motorbikes
The ever-increasing demand of motorbikes in a developing country like Pakistan is growing with the speed of light. The buying power of the general public is reducing considerably with the sky-rocketing prices of automobiles and hence motorbike remains the last economical option for them. In Pakistan, a majority of the population belongs to the lower-middle class who don’t have enough resources to afford any other mode of commuting. Hence, motorbikes remain their preferred choice. It may well facilitate a lot of people but its growth rate on the roads of Punjab has certainly raised many eyebrows.
There are a total of more than 15.7 million motorbikes registered in the province of Punjab alone. In contrast, as many as 1.7 million cars are plying on the roads which give a fair idea of the difference between the two. For each car on the road, there are 9 motorbikes according to the above-mentioned stats. The traffic problems have also risen in the province. A majority of accidents, especially on the roads of Punjab, involve motorbikes. A rough estimate suggests that out of the total accidents taking place every day, almost 80% of them involve motorbikes.
The trend of motorbikes has seen a major climb in the past decade or so. If we look back to 2010 when the total number of registered motorbikes in Punjab was 5.23 million; in a matter of just 8 years by the end of 2018, the number has grown to 15.7 million. In the same time period, the number of registered cars has increased from 1.01 to 1.73 million. So, what’s actually triggering the whole process at the back end? As a matter of fact, there are multiple factors contributing to making the condition of the traffic on the roads horrible.
The availability of locally manufactured motorbikes at cheap prices is another healthy contributor to the cause. Apart from this, the narrow roads in most parts of the province also make it easier for one to maneuver through the traffic. Nonetheless, the affordability factor is just another major contributor to this upward growth.
The locally made motorbikes in Pakistan cost about Rs.40, 000 for a 70 cc engine capacity two-wheeler. However, the imported motorcycles are costly and brands like Honda and Yamaha also offer motorbikes at comparatively higher price tags. The lower-income population comprising of labor class is benefiting from the cheap locally made motorbikes. Moreover, the availability of these motorbikes at installments have made it even simplified for them to pay as little as Rs.100/day to own a motorbike. With a very little or no expansion of the roads network, the traffic situation has become pathetic and left in complete disarray. Moreover, the uneducated category of our population hardly knows anything about the traffic laws thus putting the lives of everyone under risk while driving motorbikes.
According to the Director General of Rescue 1122 Dr. Rizwan Naseer, more than 530 accidents are reported every day on the roads of Punjab out of which nearly 430 involve motorbikes. A large proportion of people who get killed in these road accidents are also motorbike riders. Another interesting fact tells us that the majority of them are youngsters, which shows that the parents are not hesitant in giving away motorbikes to their young children. Without proper training, they become victims of road accidents on a regular basis.
Another officer of the Lahore City Traffic Police is of the view that motorbikes cause a serious disturbance in the traffic flow. The motorbikes have already outnumbered the cars by an unassailable margin amid the easy installment businesses running to accommodate the low-income citizens. SSP Captain (retd) Liaquat Ali said that we initially tried to make a separate lane for motorbikes but they drift across lanes anyway and cause a serious hindrance to the flow of traffic. He further added that a separate warden cannot be deployed for every intersection on the road and hence the citizens need to take the responsibility and shall abide by the traffic laws. There have been cases reported where they start fighting and abusing the wardens on violating the traffic laws. More than 70 percent of motorbikes in the province lack rear view mirror and malfunctioning headlights that result in accidents. It all begins with the lack of education; however, the traffic police have organized several seminars in schools and colleges on teaching the traffic laws in the last 6 months. Apart from the efforts of the traffic police, the responsibility lies on the shoulders of the parents to start disciplining their children before they move to the roads.
Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) Chief Operating Officer (COO) Akbar Nasir Khan told that it is clear from the monitoring of the department that most of the traffic violations on the road are committed by those riding motorbikes. However, the cameras installed at every junction are playing a significant role in the enforcement of laws and up till now, more than 8 million e-challans have been issued. Perhaps the issue of violators not paying their e-challans still needs to be re-strategized. Another prevailing issue highlighted by him is the use of illegal number plates instead of the computerized issued by the Punjab government. It becomes almost next to impossible for the safe cities cameras to read these fancy number plates and poses a serious threat of terrorism or a criminal act.
On this issue, the Director General of Punjab Excise and Taxation (E&T) Akram Gondal told that out of the total 15 million motorbikes registered in the province, nearly 12 million are in regular use on the roads. Although the recently registered motorbikes are provided with the computerized number plates; but the owners of 5 million old motorbikes are yet to collect their computerized number plates from the department.
In the current situation, the government seriously needs to rethink about the roads network squeezing up for the overflowing traffic. Otherwise, it would only get worse with the passage of time as the demand will only pick in the coming years.
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