Karachi: chaotic traffic situation highlighted, solutions proposed

KARACHI: The chaotic traffic situation of the megacity Karachi isn’t just “bad,” it’s a full urban systems failure. And the frustrating part is: it’s fixable, but not with band-aid solutions like flyovers and underpasses alone, said Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor here on Sunday.

He said amongst the core problems is a car-centric growth of the megacity. Over the past 20–25 years, Karachi has encouraged car and motorcycle ownership instead of public transport; the result is too many vehicles and not enough road capacity.

He said we see roads clogged with ride-hail bikes and delivery fleets. He says unlike other megacities of the world in Karachi, there is almost no functional mass transit.

He said the Green Line BRT was a start, but it covers only a small corridor and moreover work on its second phase is halted due to political ego issues of the Sindh government and Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab. He said feeder services are limited and there is no proper integration of Green Line BRT with other modes.

He said Karachi is a city of 20+ million without a modern citywide transit network — that’s the fundamental cause. Altaf Shakoor said weak traffic enforcement is yet another big issue. Signals don’t matter because: Lane discipline is almost non-existent, buses and motorcycles cut everywhere, and illegal parking blocks entire lanes. He said when enforcement collapses even a good road network gets congested.

He said Karachi has inherited a dysfunctional road hierarchy. Inner streets, commercial corridors, and highway-like arteries are all mixed, leading to random U-turns, pedestrians crossing anywhere and bottlenecks at intersections. He said Karachi can’t get a fantasy metro in six months but there are certain realistic solutions.

He said megacity needs an integrated BRT + feeder network. There is a dire need to expand Green Line into a citywide bus network, and add feeder vans and timed transfers. He said it is also necessary to use real-time arrival systems (GPS tracking). Karachi doesn’t need European trams from day one — it needs reliable, frequent buses, he said.

Altaf Shakoor demanded reclaiming roads from encroachments. He said if even one encroached lane is reclaimed on busy roads like M.A. Jinnah, the travel time drops drastically. He asked to clear areas like Saddar and Empress Market to normalize pedestrian flow. He said traffic police and municipal authorities need coordinated action.

Altaf Shakoor said the megacity needs a modern traffic signal system. He asked to replace manual policemen rotation with AI/Adaptive signal timing. He said though the central traffic monitoring centre already exists but it is underutilized. He said commuters heavily depend on motorcycles which cause chaotic weaving. In this situation if designating motorcycle lanes are introduced, they can reduce accidents and stabilize vehicle flow.

He said parking regulation is a must. There should be zero tolerance for illegal parking on main roads. Proper multi-story parking in commercial zones is also a must.

He asked to invest in a Karachi Circular Railway revival, which is the backbone of the public transport system in Karachi. He said more flyovers alone will not work; they simply shift congestion 1 km ahead. He said Karachi does not need to imitate Dubai or Singapore. Karachi needs to behave like a city, not a stretched-out car bazaar.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025