Lahore: V-shaped City Roads hurdle in expansion

[LahoreEstate]

LAHORE - The metropolis is expanding abnormally in the southward direction in a V-shape between Ferozepur Road and Multan Road, which is a serious technical defect of the master plan being executed by the government in the near future.
As per international standards, a big City should expand in a radius style, that is, more or less equally in all the four directions, and not in a V-shape like the provincial capital.
According to the sources, Lahore has not been allowed to expand on the eastern side where DHA/cantonment is located while same is the case with the growth towards District Sheikhupura, which is located on the other side of River Ravi.
The sources say in the radius expansion, population and traffic augmentation are scattered on several roads for reaching the City centre. Similarly, the offices of various government departments and other key institutions fall at equal distance for all the people living in neighbourhoods located in all the four sides. But given the ongoing irregular expansion, the traffic mess is horrible, as people have to wait at dozens of crossings for hours.
Sources confided that the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) had only V-shaped space (margin) between Ferozepur and Multan roads in order to materialise the master plan in connection with required urbanisation and industrial expansion, meaning that the factories would always remain near the residential areas, which are already swelling towards the industrial areas just like the Sundar Industrial Estate that is soon to be surrounded by the housing schemes and urbanisation in the said area.
Sources in Urban Planning Department revealed that the ratio of traffic congestion, noise, air pollution, travel time and fuel cost would further multiply in the V-shaped City mainly due to its long roads and traffic loads on signals and crossings. It is a result of focusing growth and urbanisation in the southern towards Raiwind and Thokar Niaz Beg.
Interestingly, LDA’s all housing schemes have been planned on the southern side like the Johar Town and not even a single scheme is being considered in the north or northwestern side towards Shahdra or District Sheikhupura. Sources say it is a fault of the master plan 2021 as it suggests expansion towards Raiwind without any housing scheme in the remaining three sides due to one or the other obstacle.

The City is just running in one direction and that is Raiwind and the trend will force the people to travel up to 55 km on congested roads daily for attending their offices and educational institutions located in central part of the City,” a source said, adding that the long travelling distances with vehicular noise and other forms of pollution which make poor citizens deaf and mentally sick by increasing depression and anxiety.
One such example is the Chowk Yateem Khana where noise pollution is 90 decibel and the people cannot hear or call each other without using gestures or signs to get attention, as many shopkeepers near running their businesses along the Multan Road have damaged their eardrums due to constant noise. Now they are unable to hear low frequency sound forcing others to increase their voice pitch, thus generating more noise.
In this regard, Deputy District Officer Environment Younus Zahid told The Nation that 90-decibel noise had been recorded at many crossings in the City, which was an ultimate result of lack of any planning.
“People remain on roads for longer duration while vehicles ply on the roads 24 hours as there are thousands of people who travel to Lahore High Court and The Mall daily and then return back home within a limited period”, he explained.
The DDO warned that the situation would deteriorate further in case the expansion continued in the illogical way it had been. All crossings on the busy arteries and crossings like Qurtaba Chowk, Ferozepur Road and Multan Road up to Thokar Niaz Beg, and from Chauburgi to Minar Pakistan, Lorry Adda, Data Darbar and GT Road have 80 to 90 decibel noise which is making people mentally sick.
It is very much clear that even the Ring Road and other mass transit roads along the Ferozepur Road and Multan Road will not help reduce the traffic mess if the City keeps growing in one direction, sources added.

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-n...xpansion/1