Footpath driving hazard

The changing traffic demographics and the phenomenal growth of the vehicle population have also added to the misuse of footpaths.

“Several kinds of vehicles such as cars, wagons, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, taxis, and buses are more prevalent. Their explosion has simply been beyond imagination. It has led to the birth of a new phenomenon called footpath driving and the protagonists of this are popularly called footpath drivers, who are mainly two-wheelers,” says Manzar Imam.

“It is a common sight to witness across the city two-wheelers get onto the footpath and zoom away at high speed, honking and nudging past pedestrians. One can savour this sight at footpaths near Fauji Tower, Benazir Shaheed Hospital, Marir Chowk Bridge, and Choohr Chowk,” says Najeeb-ul-Hasan.

During rush hours, two-wheelers choose footpaths as an alternate driveway notwithstanding the danger to pedestrians walking on the platform. In addition, horror of horrors, the majority of them are educated professionals who are in a hurry to get to their destination,” says Mukhtar Hussain.

Farhat Hussain sums up the plight of pedestrians perfectly when he says, “Two-wheelers are really crazy people. They zip into every space available on the road. They do not mind occupying footpaths and putting pedestrians in a difficult situation.”“It is not only the two-wheelers who use footpaths. Many owners of car showrooms on Murree Road park their vehicles on the footpaths. They seem to delight in doing so,” adds Farhat.

“Once, I came across a situation where a bike rider had almost crossed the end of the road and it made pedestrian walking on the footpath difficult. I asked him ‘Man! If you come to the footpath, how do you expect me to walk’? His instant reply was “It’s Pindi!” He was not even apologetic! He behaved as if I have committed a crime by walking on the footpath,” says Rahat Ali.

“City residents appear taken aback at this new-age menace and recommend harsh clampdown by traffic cops. Those who do not perform their duty need chastisement. The cops need to be vigilant and prevent such incidents and start penalizing two-wheeler drivers who try juvenile stunts on pavements,” says Turab Rizvi.

“Authorities must take away the drivers’ licenses for a period of three to six months plus impound their vehicles. If footpaths are at a considerable height from the road, the vehicle drivers cannot climb up. Footpaths must also be fenced, so that nobody can get down or get on as and when they wish,” says Shabbir Hussain Naqvi.

Article source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1012429-footpath-driving-hazard