Unruly, congested traffic annoy Herat city residents

HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): Residents of this capital city of western Herat province complain about unruly traffic and congestion in the city and demand a proper solution to the matter.

A resident of Herat city, Sayed Hanif Hakimi, told Pajhwok Afghan News traffic jams were the outcome of increased number of vehicles in the city. He said relevant authorities should widen the roads and create more parking lots to prevent traffic accidents and ensure order.

He said he had witnessed many traffic accidents in the city because drivers did to follow the rules or cooperate with relevant authorities.

Bismillah Poya, another resident, expressed his concern about overcrowding in the city and said the city needed more parking lots, adding no work had been done in this regard during the past one and a half decades.

While insisting on enforcement of social regulations and laws, some experts asked relevant authorities to create necessary facilities in the city.

One expert Mohammad Muslim Marvi told Pajhwok Afghan News lack of urban order caused overcrowding so laws and facilities should be created in this regard.

Standard traffic alights must also be installed and activated in the city, he added.

While admitting some of these problems in Herat city, traffic police department officials said the increasing population was a challenge for them.

Traffic Police Department chief Ghazi Zabihullah Akbari told Pajhwok that Herat’s population was over three million and over 300,000 vehicles plyef the city roads and their management was a challenge.

“The lack of parking lots is main reason of traffic congestion and many buildings have been built during the past two decades sans parking facilities and thousands of three-wheelers also operate in the city”.

He said over 40,000 rickshaws operated in the city and their drivers have no driving licenses as well.

The Traffic Police department, the transport department and the municipality want to find a proper solution to the problem, Akbari added.

aw/ma