Page 15 - Newsletter-October-2016

Governance, Transparency and Service to Members & Students www.icap.org.pk Solutions to Traffic Jam in Large Cities Commuting daily for around three hours in Karachi (world’s seventh most populous city) for more than eight years for work, this question comes in my mind every other evening. Here's what I think can be done in addition to traffic education, general awareness, Provision of Mass Transit (a must for large cities) and encouraging common commute: ■ Car Pooling: people travelling daily to same office or surrounding areas should travel together. This way 100 cars on the roads can be reduced to 25 cars. Organisations should also encourage and support such actions of their staff. As a bonus, you save on fuel, vehicle wear and tear, carbon emission and daily driving hassle; and travelling with friends/ colleagues is always better than travelling alone. However, this will be most beneficial when companies offer… ■ Flexible Work Hours: imagine what havoc it would be when hundreds of thousand people leave their homes around 8:00 a.m. in the morning for work. If organisations allow flexible timings to their employees, the flow of traffic can be evenly distributed to 2-3 hours. As a bonus, employees get a non- monetary perk where they can select a time most appropriate for them. Where timing is of essence such as customer dealing, we can have... ■ Corporate Conveyance Facility: an optional conveyance can be provided to employees either free or subsidised. A bus or hi-roof can reduce number of vehicles to 3% - 20%. This also saves on overall fuel consumption, carbon emissions and as a bonus, you can even get a nap after a tiring work day instead of driving for hours. This might increase individual travel time, which can be managed by having... ■ Separate Lanes and Bus Stops: there should be bus stops and separate lanes, and for cars, buses and motorcycles and this should be followed in letter and spirit. This will not only streamline the traffic flow, but would definitely reduce the number of road accidents. However, to ensure the efficiency of above all we need... ■ Zero Tolerance on Traffic Violations: a system that enforces the traffic law and has zero tolerance for violation will significantly reduce traffic jams and accidents and will streamline the flow of traffic. Heavy penalties should be imposed for all violations like in the West or Gulf countries. The traffic jam situation needs collective action from individuals, corporate world and the governments. It is also pertinent to mention that the problem is more or less similar all around the world. The above and other similar solutions can be implemented around the globe with social, economical and environmental benefits. – Ahsan Maredia, Vancouver, Canada October 2016 15