The nightmare of entering Islamabad from Expressway

People living in Rawalpindi and other areas along Islamabad Expressway who daily come for work to capital Islamabad and thousands of schools, colleges and university students, were happy with the improved traffic flow with the construction of Koral and Gulberg Interchanges as they could make the otherwise arduous commutes in heavy traffic load and congestion in just half an hour, were in for a huge surprise on Monday and Tuesday as again found themselves waiting in more than five kilometers snarls due check point modifications at Faizabad entry point.

There was loud outcry on social media criticizing the new check point arrangement meant to photograph all vehicles and their occupants which has essentially killed the purpose of expanding the Islamabad Expressway and building of interchanges to make it a signal-free corridor. Most of the motorists on social media said that they were late to office for about two hours and commute also tested their nerves with stop and go traffic from Khanna Pul to Faizabad.

The authorities should arrange the check point in a way not to create a bottleneck on the main expressway which is very busy during the rush hour. Security concerns are paramount for the protection of citizen and the vital state institutions and federal capital itself, but there are several ways to make the process less painful and public and road users friendly. It is hoped that better sense would prevail to put the commuters out of their misery.

Photo Credit: Traffic Updates Rawalpindi Islamabad Facebook Group