KARACHI: Industrialists have urged the government, local authorities, and the police department to improve traffic management across the commercial capital to ensure a smooth and efficient flow of traffic and heavy vehicles during permitted hours.
They emphasised the need for authorities to complete the repair and construction of highways, major roads, and underpasses, ease congestion at various interchanges, and enhance traffic management on busy routes.
The local administration has extended the restriction on the movement of heavy vehicles and dumpers from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm for another two months. This restriction was imposed in response to a sharp rise in deadly road accidents in recent months, which claimed multiple lives. Currently, the movement of goods carriers is only allowed on the Superhighway, National Highway, Northern Bypass, and their adjoining areas.
President Federal B Area Association of Trade and Industry (FBATI) Shaikh Muhammad Tehseen urged the provincial government to adopt a surveillance system on the main roads of the megacity to monitor over speeding of heavy vehicles, including trucks and dumpers to contain traffic accidents.
AI technology and CCTV cameras can help relevant authorities to identify the violation of traffic rules and penalise the violators subsequently. Through this way, precious lives could be saved, he added. He suggested that the traffic police collaborate with industrial zone associations, trade bodies, and transporters’ groups to issue licenses to trained drivers and provide fitness certificates for cargo trucks and goods carriers on a priority basis.
The relevant departments should also remove road encroachments that cause traffic congestion, and educate drivers about emerging challenges and safe driving practices, especially during peak hours, he added. He stressed the importance of completing road construction and repairing dilapidated routes and arteries within the next two months to facilitate smoother traffic flow within the city.
President SITE Superhighway Association of Trade and Industry (SSAHI) Pervaiz Masood stated that the next two month's ban on cargo movement should be effectively utilised to improve overall traffic management and reduce accidents across the city. He remarked that Pakistani industrialists are aiming to boost the country’s exports to $35 billion in the coming years, which will require a supportive business environment, including a well-connected road network linking industrial zones with seaports, airports, and dry ports.
Masood also urged the provincial government to expedite the completion of Safe City projects to monitor traffic violations and manage peak-hour traffic more effectively. He proposed that all wedding halls and public gatherings should close before 10:00 pm to facilitate the movement of goods carriers.
He emphasised the need to improve overall traffic flow by enforcing traffic rules, removing encroachments, and better managing parking spaces in Karachi.
Commending the government's ban on rickshaws (Chingchi) on certain roads, he described them as unsafe modes of transport in the metropolis and also called on the local government to ensure the availability of sufficient public transport for the general public and industrial workers.
According to estimates, there are over 7 million registered trucks and heavy vehicles in Pakistan, with a significant presence in Karachi and its seven industrial areas having thousands of small, medium, and large-sized industrial units.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025