ASSIGNMENT TOPIC

“PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION HAS

BECOME A MENACE IN KARACHI”

SUBMITTED TO DR. ANILA AMBER

INSTRUCTOR OF: BEHAVIOUR SCIENCE

SUBMITTED BY ASRAR HUSSAIN

STUDENT OF: M P A
EVENING

DATE: ______________

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KARACHI TRANSPORT PROBLEM

Recently, there has been a lot of interest in the transport system of

Karachi. The Prime Minister has given it a high priority and it has been
made a part of the Karachi Special Development Programme which is
being financed by World Bank and other donor agencies.
Karachi transport is synonymous with bad roads, overcrowding and
speeding which does not only lead to numerous road accidents but has
also led to riots in the city. All these have been due to the neglect to
the transport system of Karachi despite the enormous increase in its
population during the last forty years.

The population of Karachi is officially estimated at 5.6 million while

according to another estimate it is about 10 million. The Identity Card
Department has issued more than 10 million cards. The population of
Karachi is increasing at a growth rate of about 6 per cent each year.
The public transport has not kept pace with the increase in population
growth rate. In 1988 Karachi Transport Corporation was running 500
buses on roads when there was a fleet of 3000. The rest are dumped.
There are about 3000 mini buses, taxis 5000, private buses 1000 while
the total road network is 7400 kilometers.

As it has been mentioned earlier the main problem with the Karachi
transport has been the maintenance of road, overcrowding and
speeding. As for the maintenance of road, twelve different agencies
are operating which include KDA, KMC, KPT etc. For example Rashid
Minhas Road which starts from Nagin Chowrangi to the Drigh Road. A
certain portion is under control of KMC while others are under KDA,
Cantonment Board. As the maintenance of the road is not under one
authority, each authority looks after the road according to its own
budget which falls far short of the requirements.

What the study has not included is the need for compulsory training of
drivers. Training Institutes have to be set up where training of three to
four months course are imparted to them not only for the driving of
the car but also in vehicle mechanism. Further in order to stop
speeding a system of time keepers on all established routes has to be
set up.

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The speed of public transport vehicles should be determined for each
distance and should be monitored by each time keeper. Any breach by
driver should be subject to punishment. In short, the redeeming
feature is the awareness about the present dilapidated transport
system. Now that present government has given it a high priority, and
there are good chances of financial resources being organised, the
Karachi Commuters may look for better transport.

ECONOMY OF KARACHI

Karachi is the financial and commercial capital of Pakistan; it accounts

for a lion's share of Pakistan's revenue generation. It generates
approximately 53.38% of the total collections of the Federal Board of
Revenue, out of which 53.33% are customs duty and sales tax on
imports. Karachi produces about 30 percent of value added in large
scale manufacturing and 20% of the GDP of Pakistan. In February
2007, the world bank identified Karachi as the most business-friendly
city in Pakistan.

Why does it matter? The problem of traffic growth

Transport 2010, the government’s ten-year transport plan, set out a
strategy for cutting the growth in traffic and congestion. When first
published, the plan predicted overall traffic growth between 2000 and
2010 could be cut by five percentage points, from 22 per cent to 17
per cent. In other words, traffic levels will continue to worsen. Even in
conurbations and large urban areas, where capacity constraints mean
that traffic growth is less, the ten year plan forecast an increase in
traffic of 10 per cent. The progress report on the ten-year plan in 2002
suggested that the situation may be worse than this, with levels of
congestion higher than believed in 2000 and likely to be worse than
originally forecast in 2010.
The government argues this growth in traffic does not really matter,
and it is the impacts of traffic – particularly congestion and pollution –
which must be tackled. But it is clearly not a satisfactory state of
affairs. There are several reasons why traffic growth gives cause for
concern:

• It is not credible to argue – as government policy has – that

congestion will go down at the same time as traffic volumes go up.

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Even if increases in road and junction capacity are used to reduce
congestion at specific sites, any benefits will be short lived.
If the broad trend of traffic is upwards, congestion will inevitably get
worse.
• More traffic makes for less live able streets. “Live ability” – described
in a speech by the Prime Minister to the Groundwork Trust (2001) as
“all the things which improve our daily experience of life where we
live” – requires high quality public spaces, less danger from traffic, and
a clean, well-managed, safe and secure street environment. High
traffic volumes make public spaces noisier, smellier, and more
stressful.
• Increased traffic will lead to more road casualties and deaths.
• Traffic growth outside urban areas – whether on local roads or trunk
roads and motorways – destroys rural tranquility and creates pressure
to build more roads and widen existing ones through environmentally
sensitive landscapes.
• More traffic implies a greater dependency on cars as a means of
transport, which in turn implies much lower levels of walking and
cycling. Yet walking and cycling are the most important forms of
physical activity to improve public health.
• Traffic growth offsets any climate change benefits arising from more
fuel efficient vehicles. The large scale of reductions in carbon dioxide
emissions necessary to avert catastrophic climate change is such that
every sector of the economy must play its part in reducing emissions,
including transport.

While policy makers may distinguish between adverse traffic impacts

and adverse traffic growth, the public do not: the “common sense”
reaction of most people is that traffic growth is in itself a bad thing.
For example, national opinion surveys show the proportion of people
thinking the amount of traffic on the roads is “one of the most serious
problems for Britain” has risen steadily from 58 per cent in 1993 to 73
per cent in 1999 (Office for National Statistics 2001). A survey carried
out by City of York Council found that local residents thought traffic
congestion was the single most important issue facing York, and nearly
three quarters of local people wanted to see traffic levels reduced to
1991 levels or lower (City of York Council 2000). A survey in Perth,
Australia – a city built around the car, and arguably one which
represents “the future” for Britain if car dependency continues to grow
– found 82 per cent of people believed that traffic would continue to
increase over the next twelve years and that this was a negative
occurrence (Government of Western Australia 1999).

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Faced with these concerns, one response is to argue that traffic
reduction may be desirable, all other things being equal, but that the
policies necessary to cut traffic would themselves have unacceptable
consequences. In other words, the medicine is worse than the disease
– or at least the patient believes it to be so – and traffic volumes can
only be reduced through a combination of higher fuel prices, charging
for use of road-space, reductions in traffic capacity and so on that
would be unpopular and unacceptable to voters.

But is it correct to argue that traffic reduction can only be achieved by

such extreme intervention that it is refused by the patient? This report
presents the evidence so far that there may be a gentler form of
treatment which could help cut traffic with less pain.

This is not to say that the measures discussed here will on their own
be adequate to cut travel demand. Local transport schemes are no
panacea. But – as will be argued later – local schemes to increase the
appeal of non-car options deserve to be taken seriously alongside
other measures, and they may increase the effectiveness of restraint
policies so lesser amounts

MASS TRANSIT IN KARACHI

A brief look into the problems related public transport in Karachi

Karachi, despite being the 13th largest agglomeration of the world,

has found it difficult to cater to the needs of citizens as far as means of
transportation is concerned, thanks to the transport mafia which
comprises of those who run minibuses, wagons, coaches and buses.
This mafia, as a result of manipulative and scheming ploys, has
succeeded in obliterating major transportation projects like Karachi
Circular Railways, tramways and green bus project, over the years.

There was a time when Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) was at its peak,
104 trains ran daily, 90 on main tracks and 14 on loop line. Nearly 3
lac commuters traveled on the KCR every day. But after 1994, only
one train ran on loop line and in 1999 KCR operations were completely
discontinued. Karachi tramway is a story not different from that of
KCR. In 1975, the 90 year old tram network was closed down as a
result of mismanagement and ill-planning.

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Being a student, when I inquired about the reason behind an
exceptionally insufficient number of University buses for students in
NED University (an engineering university in Karachi), I was informed
that the government wants the public transport to be used more by
students. This shows that how cunningly this mafia has fallen foul of
other modes of transportation in the city.

Buses, wagons and minibuses have not only become a nuisance for the
travelers but they have also caused serious health hazards to them.
Apart from noise pollution and air pollution, the congested and
overcrowded environment of these buses has made the life of
commuters difficult. Moreover, their reckless driving and careless
attitude towards the passengers has caused the loss of many lives
over the years.

According to a particular study majority of Karachi’s urban public

transport (81%) is comprised of low capacity (27/32 passenger’s
carrying capacity) minibuses and coaches. Therefore, the ratio of
available seat capacity on public transport to the population in Karachi
is 1:40 as compared to 1:12 in Mumbai and 1:8 in Hong Kong. This
compels the commuters to travel in overcrowded buses, exposing
them to serious hazards while traveling on roof-tops, foot boards and
rear guards.

The solution to all these problems lies in the alternatives. Karachi

Circular Railway must be launched as soon as possible. A mass transit
based on modern rail system can also be worthwhile in reducing the
dependency on road transport.

Such projects may serve to provide quick, comfortable, soothing and

environmentally friendly rides to the commuters at affordable fares.
Moreover, they can also be a solution to ever growing road-traffic
problems in the city.

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KARACHI, UNDER PROBLEMS

Karachi is a heart of Pakistan carrying multi cultural values from all

over the subcontinent and the economical hub, finance generator of
Pakistan, generating 68% of revenue for Pakistan. Sudden and rapid
growth of problems are taking place in the city due to which citizens
from all walks of life are suffering, from business men to school
children and students. Main cause of sudden growth may be the result
of political rifts and differences amongst the political parties due to
which citizens are largely suffering.

Pillion Riding Ban:

Pillion riding ban was imposed for 3 days last year in November which
is still imposed. It has greatly increased the problems for the citizens
and they are forced to travel in rickshaws, busses and taxies
unwillingly paying unfair demanded fares. Knowing the problem that
they cannot travel on bikes, drivers and bus conductors ultimately
demand unfair fares and rents to their destination and due to which
they often misbehave with passengers knowing that they (citizens) do
not have any other option for travel.
Besides the demand of unfair fare, other hitch is the increasing
robbery and looting in busses. It is becoming the usual that armed
robbers get in the busses, rob people without any hesitation and then
get off from the bus at the next stop, no prominent cure is provided
for this problem.
New fashion of transport strike (wheel jam) is increasing and it is not
wrong to say that these strikes are being backed by the political party
and mostly strikes are called for political motives. Yes! The motives
are political but citizens suffer. A person who is earning on a daily
basis won’t be able to earn because transport is not available due to
strike and cannot travel on a bike along with his friend because there
is a ban on pillion riding in the city and the same goes for the students
and citizens from all walks of life.
Citizens, who were caught doing pillion ridings for some reasons, were
caught and convicted in police stations and then later on released on
bail. Youngsters and students suffered the most from this as they were
forcefully criminalized and convicted to the lockups of local police
stations with handcuffs on.
Literate citizens of Karachi especially youngsters and students are
treated as professional criminals in the name of pillion riding and by
convicting and locking them up, impression is given that the citizens

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including youngsters and students are professional criminals. Instead
of terrorists, murderers and robbers, police lockups seem to be filled
with literate citizens.
Few days ago, a student of 1sy year (intermediate part1) missed his
exam when he was getting towards his examination center at gulzar e
hijri on a bike along with his brother and he was caught and convicted
for pillion riding and missed his examination on that day.

Less Traffic where People Live:

How local transport schemes
Can help cut traffic

Bumper-to-bumper traffic is one of the biggest problems we face in

towns and cities. Opinion polls show that people are more and more
concerned about the noise, pollution, danger and congestion caused by
growing car use.
Policy-makers say they aim to reduce congestion, but without trying to
cut traffic. But it is simply not credible that congestion will fall, and
continue to fall, while traffic volumes go up. Road widening and bigger
junctions may ease traffic jams in the very short term, but in the long
term they will contribute to yet more car-dependent lifestyles, more
traffic and more congestion. But what is the alternative? These report
shows, with convincing evidence based on schemes now in place, that
it is possible to cut traffic in towns through intensive application of
local transport improvements. Measures such as workplace travel
plans and incentives to cycle are all too often viewed by transport
planners as fashionable “extras”. Yet if these schemes were applied
intensively, and on a large scale, they could be powerful tools to cut
car travel demand. If we pulled all the stops out, providing a safe
route to school for every child, traffic-light priority so buses ran on
time, targeted personal information for people about non-car options,
and other measures, we could transform our towns and cities from
places dominated by traffic noise into high quality places which are a
pleasure to live in.
As this report argues, politicians have shied away from tackling traffic
growth because they fear the political consequences of the cure will be
worse than the political consequences of the disease. The evidence
here suggests there may be a gentler form of treatment which could
help cut traffic with less pain.

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Traffic Jams in Karachi: Reasons and Solutions
 Reasons for Traffic Jams

There are numerous reasons for traffic congestion in the city, some of
these are listed here:

1. Road Construction:

The road construction works are in progress on M.A. Jinnah

Extension Road, Rashid Minhas Road, Shahrae Jehangir, 5000
Road in North Karachi, 8000 Road in Korangi Manghopir Road
etc. The flyover works are ongoing at Time Medico intersection,
Hasan Square intersection and Sohrab Goth, Underpasses works
are also underway at Gharibabad, Liaquatabad No. 10 and
Nazimabad No. 2. Most of the projects are on going without any
traffic diversion plan.

2. Encroachments:

Squatters have also set up encroachments on the roads. The car

showroom owners park their vehicles at footpath and on a large
portion of M. A. Jinnah Extension Road, Khalid Bin Walid Road,
Tariq Road, University Road etc. Inter-city buses have illegal
depots and stop points along University Road (old sabzi mandi)
causing hinderance in traffic flow.

3. Manual Traffic Control:

According to a report in PakTribune.com, traffic signals are

switched off in many areas by police officials who try to control
the traffic manually. They get confused in the process and due to
their errors, the traffic from different directions is grid locked
which leads to traffic muddle on the roads. Usually, the traffic
police close the traffic signals in evening when traffic volume
from all directions is much higher. They open one-side of road
for long period while the other traffic is closed for minutes.

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Usually signals of Shaheen Complex, Civic Centre. Tibet Centre, Nishat
Cinema, Numaish, Empress Market, Sharea Faisal, Shaheen Complex,
Teen Hatti, Sharea Pakistan etc are switched off.

Ironically, the signals are operating under Urban Traffic Control(UTC)

in which timings are fixed in according to the traffic flow of these
roads. The city government has installed 130 UTC signals on major
roads, which have computerized system. Timings are stored in the
system in according to the traffic volume, which can also be varied.

According to city government officials, the traffic police was

responsible to operate these signals but instead of it they were more
intended to operate traffic manually. The city government has asked
traffic police department many times to abandon traffic control
manually as it causes traffic jams but the officials concerned never
response positive.

4. Lack of Civic Sense:

Another major reason for traffic jams and mishaps in Karachi is lack of
civic sense in drivers. Most drivers are either unaware of traffic rules
or they simply do not bother. Jumping lanes, overtaking, speeding,
cursing and swearing, all causing frustration, depression and hyper-
tension around them.

Solutions:

Solving traffic related issues is certainly no easy task and requires lot
of research and planning. Considering the availability of resources and
funds, it is best to utilize what is readily available rather than opting
for brand-new solution which cause more strain on tax payers’
pockets. For example, the circular railway system, if properly
launched, can reduce pressure from the vehicular traffic. While there
was some progress on Karachi Mass Transit Program, it fall prey of
various political agendas and went down the drain.

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CONCLUSIONS

The accepted wisdom about most of the measures explored in this

report is that their impact on demand for travel by car is at best
marginal, and that once any benefit has been eroded through induced
traffic their net effect on traffic volumes and congestion is negligible.
This report suggests that the potential for local measures to affect car
travel demand may be greater than previously thought, although this
potential will only be realised if local measures are applied with greater
intensity and on a greater scale than at present, such that they cease
to be “small scale” schemes.
It suggests that the impact of local measures will be greatest in
congested areas and at congested times. In an enlightened
business as usual scenario, car travel demand could be reduced by
12 per cent during peak hours or by 15 per cent in a typical large
urban area. The national impact in car travel demand could be 5 per
cent (all figures are for the year 2010). In an ambitious change
scenario, car travel demand in peak hours could be cut by 26 per
cent. The impact in a typical large urban area could be 33 per cent.
The national impact could be 10 per cent. Throughout this report,
policy measures have been identified which would support
achievement of the ambitious change and enlightened business as
usual scenarios. In summary, these were:

• Adequate funding for a major rolling programme of quality bus

partnerships, covering the entire bus network over a period of five to
ten years
• Widespread adoption of flat fares and multimodal travelcards, and
real fares reductions targeted at encouraging repeat use of public
transport
• Re-allocation of road space to enable effective end-to-end bus
priority measures
• Support for community rail partnerships, including sufficient funding
for and attention to small scale infrastructure schemes (e.g. passing
loops, resignalling, station refurbishments)
• Pro-active government support for more travel plan co-ordinators in
local authorities
• Incentives for private companies to develop travel plans, including
workplace parking levies, a requirement for companies to offer
“parking cash out” as an alternative to a free parking space at work, a
requirement for large companies to employ mobility managers, and
direct grants.

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• Voluntary parking cash out benefits should no longer be taxed as a
benefit in kind
• More active promotion of the benefits of teleworking to employers
and their staff, though workplace travel plans
• A stated national policy aim that every child should have a safe route
to school by 2010, with resources dedicated to small-scale street
improvement schemes to enable this
• Roll-out of the current pilot programme of dedicated, high quality
school buses
• Large scale trials of independent marketing, comparable to those
developed in Perth,
Australia
• Start-up funding for first generation car clubs and tax breaks such as
some form of fuel duty rebate to give car clubs a competitive edge
over individual car ownership
• Partnership between public transport operators and car clubs to
provide incentives for people to develop “mix and match” mobility
patterns
• Sustained, increased investment in improving the infrastructure for
cycling, to provide continuous, high quality cycle networks
• Revised design guidance for mixed-use non-trunk roads, to enable
more pedestrian and cyclist- friendly design
• Better enforcement of policy on location and form of new housing, to
ensure new developments are compact, attractive for walking and
cycling, have key everyday facilities nearby, and are not located where
car-based long-distance commuting will be encouraged
• Effective street maintenance strategies to improve the quality and
condition of the street environment.
To argue that local measures have the potential to deliver significant
behavior change is not to argue that they are easy, or inexpensive, or
uncontentious. Widespread implementation of the measures discussed
here is likely to require increased funding, both capital and revenue,
sustained over a period of years; more local authority staff with the
appropriate skills; and in some cases legislative change. Local
measures may be less attractive to politicians wishing to champion a
high-profile project. And local experience shows some elements of the
measures discussed in this report may be contentious: bus lanes may
be opposed by traders; and parking restrictions as part of workplace
travel plans may be resented by employees. Nor does this report
argue that local measures are on their own a solution to traffic growth.
To be effective, local measures must be accompanied by traffic
restraint. It does argue that local measures may increase the
effectiveness of traffic restraint, so that less traffic restraint becomes
necessary to achieve a given level of behavior change.

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The merit of local measures lies in part in their potential to engage
traffic generators (businesses, schools, leisure centres, and shopping
centres) and the general public in taking more responsibility for their
car use. From experience of travel planning, individual marketing, bus
quality partnerships and the other interventions described in this
report, it seems that people’s travel patterns are less fixed, and more
susceptible to influence, than we might imagine. Gentle interventions
which make it easier for people to change their travel behavior should
surely have an important place in the toolbox of every transport
planner.

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