Underpass needed to end traffic chaos on 3 major roads

Yasir Ilyas

ISLAMABAD, October 4, 2010: Stadium Road, which joins Benazir Bhutto Road with IJP Road and Agha Shahi Avenue (Ninth Avenue) of the federal capital, is one of the shortest road links between Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The vehicles moving on these three main arteries of the twin cities have to pass through security barriers where traffic moves at a snail’s pace and it takes time to reach one’s destination.

Talking to INFN, people belonging to different walks of life, who have to use these roads daily to reach their workplaces and academic institutions, urged the concerned authorities to construct an underpass at IJP Road, linking Ninth Avenue and Stadium Road, make smooth flow of traffic on three major roads possible.

Muhammad Javed, a cabbie who picks and drops students of the National University of Modern Languages daily, said: “The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has constructed numerous flyovers and underpasses at different locations in Islamabad. The civic body should also consider a similar solution for IJP Road to smoothen the flow of traffic on not one but three main roads -- Ninth Avenue, Benazir Bhutto Road and IJP Road itself.”

“The heavy rush and irregular flow of traffic make driving on the road quite difficult. You have to stop after every three metres or so and it is very hard to reach the university on time”, stated Marium Satti, a student of the International Islamic University.

Imran Majeed, who goes to his office located in Sector I-9 on a motorbike, also came up with the same opinion. “The irregular flow of traffic on these roads in the morning and afternoon affects your mood for the whole day. The government should construct an underpass at the site so one can move swiftly”, he observed.

Talking to INFN, a traffic sergeant said that cops have to operate traffic manually after switching off the installed signals. According to him, it becomes really tough for policemen to control the flow of traffic, especially in the circumstances when everyone shows unnecessary haste. “I don’t know why people remain in such a haste? I think an underpass is a good option to tackle with the pressure of traffic at that point”, he said.

Colonel (retired) Mansoor, who is a lecturer at the National University of Modern Languages, also travels on the same route in his car. He said: “Several academic institutions, offices and markets are located along these main roads so it is quite natural to have such a load on these roads. Secondly, the square is a confluence of three main roads of twin cities, so an underpass can definitely improve the traffic flow.”