Zone-Fconsists of Balahisar, LRH, Dabgari garden, Kohat Road to Ring Road, Pir Zakori Bridge to Balahisar is selected for pilot project
our correspondent
peshawar
Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan has directed to initiate work on Zone-F under the master plan prepared for the Traffic Management of mixed traffic lanes in Peshawar. He approved in principle Rs. 200 millions for Zone-F directing that the plan should be implemented without any delay.
According to the master plan, Peshawar has been divided into six zones out of which Zone-F is selected for pilot project. Zone-F consists of Balahisar, LRH, Dabgari garden, Kohat Road to Ring Road, Pir Zakori Bridge to Balahisar.
The Chief Minister also agreed to give lead role to Deputy Commissioner Office Peshawar in order to ensure speedy implementation of Traffic Management Plan directing that action against encroachments, strict enforcement of traffic laws and parking rules should be ensured at all. He assured that the government will extend its all out support to ensure smooth flow of traffic in the city.
He was presiding over a meeting regarding Traffic Management Master Plan for Peshawar at CM Secretariat Peshawar. Minister for Information Shaukat Yousafzai, Minister for Finance Taimur Saleem Jhagra, Special Assistant to CM on merged districts Ajmal Wazir, Principal Secretary to CM Shahab Ali Shah, Administrative Secretaries, Commissioner Peshawar, DC Peshawar, CCPO, SP Traffic and other concerned authorities attended the meeting.
The meeting was briefed in details about the Master plan prepared for mixed traffic lanes in Peshawar. Key objectives of the plan included to identify congestion points hindering smooth traffic flow and to manage potential adverse impacts on traffic flow and pedestrian movements to ensure road and pedestrian network performance is maintained at an acceptable level.
The meeting was told that under the master plan, the whole of Peshawar is divided into six zones from which Zone-F would be implemented at first as pilot project. PC-1 of an estimated cost of Rs. 200 million has also been prepared and placed for scrutiny before approval. 26 congestion points having adverse impacts on smooth flow of traffic have been identified in Zone-F.
The major issues hindering smooth traffic flow included unauthorized U- turning, bottlenecks due to BRT alignment, open turning bays, missing warning information and signs, road side illegal parking, pavement distresses, illegal taxi and bus stands, encroachments on the sides of road, congestions and easy availability of driving license.
Safety issues such like use of seat belt, use of mobile during driving, over speeding, lack of lane discipline, lack of public awareness, lack of traffic rules enforcement and non availability of modern traffic control devices like traffic signals, signs and pavement marking are also major issues in this regard.
The meeting was told that practicable remedial measures have also been proposed in the plan. While briefing about the improvement proposals for Traffic Management in Zone-F, the meeting was told that 46 short term measures have been identified. Survey of 2nd Zone has also been initiated.
