Unplanned growth in Lahore impacts quality of mobility 

LAHORE: The haphazard and unplanned growth of Lahore has led to a severe crisis of urban mobility, resulting in congestion, vehicular pollution, and road accidents.

Compounding the problem of urban mobility, a pitiable public transportation system has severely affected the poor in accessing avenues of education, employment, among others. Notably, the public transport system is not efficient enough to support the population of the eastern part of Punjab’s capital city.

Along with a shortage of buses, the problem is also that the bus routes are not integrated with the Metrobus service and Orange Line train. If that had been done, it could have provided seamless transit options to commuters.

Owing to this situation, auto-rickshaws have been the mainstay of transportation in the city. However, in the absence of a uniform policy and enforcement mechanism, the city has a surfeit of auto-rickshaws.

Overloading in ‘share auto-rickshaws’ is a common sight in the provincial capital and the problem remains unchecked.

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There are hundreds of share autos operated from the busiest bus stands on main Canal Bank Road to various destinations where buses are not operated frequently. Normally, the autos are allowed to transport three to four persons apart from the driver. However, in reality, nine passengers are transported during peak hours, both in the morning and evening.

Gaps in service

While two passengers share the seat next to the driver, six passengers get themselves accommodated in the seats intended for four passengers. These autos are mostly operated on main Canal Bank Road, Ferozepur Road, GT Road, Jail Road, Saddar and other places where buses are either less frequently available or do not operate.

Passengers told Bol News that they are aware of the risk involved in boarding such vehicles but they can travel quickly by spending much less.

“The fare is considerably low”, claimed Hira, an undergraduate student who uses the share auto-rickshaw from Mughalpura to Punjab University. She further said that these vehicles make it easier to travel since Lahore Transport Company has halted its operations on some of the busiest routes of the metropolis.

“I prefer sharing autos as travelling daily in a cab costs me an arm and leg”, said Rizwan Akram, a worker at a city hospital.

Haphazard driving

However, the passengers complain that these vehicles are operated recklessly and they pose a threat to other road users. “The drivers stop the vehicles haphazardly and also take turns without using indicators”, said Uzma, a regular user of share autos.

Though it has been strictly mentioned in the traffic guidelines that none of the auto-rickshaw drivers should be below 18 years of age, errant drivers have been blatantly breaching the norms. Commuters say it’s mostly the minor auto-rickshaw drivers who rashly drive on roads and carelessly stop their vehicles to fetch passengers on main roads.

In addition to this, loud music played by them in their vehicles also creates noise pollution. A minor driver said whenever they are held by the traffic police, they just have to pay a challan of Rs500 and they start driving their auto-rickshaw again.

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In some areas, 10 passengers are being ferried in a vehicle, which is a serious violation. Some auto-rickshaw drivers are not only violating Covid-19 protocols, but also risking the lives of passengers by carrying them in jam-packed vehicles and driving at high speed, said a traffic police officer involved in the drive to enforce traffic rules.

He added that as per rules, only three people are allowed to travel in an auto-rickshaw apart from the driver. Police are imposing fines of Rs1,000 on carrying extra passengers.

Although officials at the transport department and traffic police said they were taking action against drivers for violations, they were reportedly fined and let off. These vehicles pose risk to both the passengers and other road users. Hence, stringent action must be taken against the drivers. However, inaction by officials concerned urges auto-rickshaw drivers to break the rules repeatedly.

An efficient and safe public transport network is the right of every citizen. Without it, a city is not a city; just a really large village.

The point that our policymakers often fail to realise is that a significant number of citizens have no choice but to use public transport. This lack of affordable choices in the transport sector also reeks of inequality. While the central and provincial governments are actively pushing metro systems in more and more cities, questions remain whether these can resolve the public transport crisis holistically.

As much as huge projects like Orange Line, Speedo and Metro constitute state-of-the-art infrastructure, these do not provide a solution to the mobility issue faced by a large number of citizens who have to travel across the eastern side of the city on routes other than their specified ones.

Therefore, it is important that transportation planning is done in a manner that prioritises sustainable mobility solutions. This is the only way to make urban mobility equitable and just. Citizens look for mainly three factors when it comes to public transportation: accessibility, efficiency and affordability. In Lahore, it seems like we are systematically ignoring these three critical elements of public transportation, leaving the only option available: being choked in traffic or breaking the bank to pay for private cabs.

The writer is a freelance contributor