Speeding at signal-free: Srinagar Highway threatens lives

Islamabad: The civic agency’s recent move to turn the Srinagar Highway into a signal-free corridor has endangered the lives of the users of the ‘protected‘ U-turns made on the busy artery, especially during rush hours.

The people have demanded speed humps on the highway to check speeding by motorists and motorcycle bridges to prevent accidents.

The Capital Development Authority recently closed the H-11 Chowk on the Srinagar Highway and created three 'strategic' U-turns at a distance from that intersection, claiming the initiative is part of the traffic management plan.

One U-turn is meant for the traffic entering the highway from G-11 or GT Road, while the other two are for motorists and motorcyclists bound for G-11 and the main Islamabad from H-8, H-9 or H-11.

Though the civil agency insists that the U-turns were made ensuring the safety of road users, the people think otherwise and claim that the initiative is threatening lives by encouraging speeding.

They also complained that the single-free highway had no bridges for motorcycles. “I don't doubt the utility of this single-free corridor, but the bitter ground reality is that it is causing more trouble to road users than relief, especially when compared with the past. What I’ve observed is the people speed on this highway due to the removal of traffic lights from the erstwhile H-11 Chowk and thus, risking their own and others’ life,” young motorist Zaman Ali from F-11/4 complained to ‘The News’.

Muhammad Kamran, who drives on the Srinagar Highway every morning to reach his Pakistan Secretariat office from home in Pirwadhai area, complained that he entered the highway from the Faqir Aipee Road but struggled to negotiate his way through speeding vehicles to reach the H-12 ‘protected U-turn’.

He claimed that the vehicles entering the highway from H-11 or G-11 didn’t get enough space and time to easily turn to U-turns and thus, running the risk of causing accidents.

The motorist also wondered why the road planners didn't think about installing motorcycle and pedestrian foot bridges on the highway to protect lives.

He also suggested the installation of speed humps at those points if the restoration of the old traffic management system wasn’t possible.