KABUL: A number of the Kabul citizens complained about the failure of traffic police to bring order in traffic system in the country’s big cities, particularly Kabul.
Lack of traffic lights in most parts of the city, nonoperational roadside lights and lack of attention by the drivers to the traffic signs and regulations are the reasons behind traffic irregularities in the city with a population of more than six million.
Although corruption has reached to nil among the traffic officials, after the Islamic Emirate takeover of power in the country.
In the past, traffic officials illegally fined drivers and allowing to stop along the roads, but nowadays, the extortions are banned all over the country’s cities. But is the most needed is the reactivation of traffic lights across the cities, particularly the capital, something the traffic department has so far failed to restore.
Yasin Khan who is a taxi driver told The Kabul Times that when he drives from his origin in Saraye Shamali, he faces heavy traffic jams between the Kabul provincial office in Salangwat to the Asmayee Avenue and that he cannot reach his distance even in 40 minutes.
“The reason behind the problems is traffic irregularities and the drivers’ failure to obey traffic rules.
They stop their vehicles everywhere they wanted, and the traffic officials don’t tell them anything, as they have no benefit from them under the current Islamic system,” he said asking the traffic department to pay serious attention to the issue.
A Kabul citizen who said sometimes he wants to use his own car to take his family to his relatives’ house complained that he fails to reach the distance on time due to heavy irregularities and misusing of the drivers from the roads.
“Sometimes, you see two or more cars are stopped in the middle of the roads downtown and one doesn’t know how to drive across,” he said blaming the traffic officials for not paying attention to the problems.
He said vehicles without number plates should not also be allowed to move across the city as many insecurity incidents including crimes rises from the commutation of such vehicles.
He also called on the organs concerned to reactivate all traffic lights and signals across the country and resume legal fining of the violating drivers.
The plan would help eye-catchingly reduce irregularities of the traffic system in the capital.
Meantime, the traffic officials have earlier said all avenues would be equipped with traffic lights and signals, as recently the Kabul Municipality has started marking the roads, beginning from the Kabul International Airport avenue covering the whole Kabul city.
The traffic department in a statement assured all the relevant problems would be addressed duly and the Kabul city would be provided with enough traffic regulations.
Massouda Qarizada
Citizens, drivers complain about traffic irregularity in Kabul city
