Lack of traffic signs in rural areas causing accidents

ISLAMABAD: Most of the roads in the rural areas of capital have lack of adequate traffic signs and leaving scopes for drivers, pedestrians to be misguided and ultimately cause accidents.

According to traffic rules, there should have warning signs, information signs, route signs, road markings and supplementary plates on the road to guide the drivers and pedestrians.

There should also have retro-reflective sheeting on the roads to indicate zebra crossing and the driveway for crossing road by the pedestrians.

A resident of Bara Kaho, Zaqhid Hussain told that very few roads of rural areas, however, have minimum traffic signs. Most of the road medians and the roundabouts do not have fluorescent retro-reflective sheeting, which is essential for visibility at night to avoid accidents.

Many speed breakers are not marked with colour (yellow) that cause inconveniences in driving vehicles and small accidents very often. Speed limits are not mentioned in many of the Islamabad roads.

A citizen Tahir told this agency that the absence of traffic signs or indicators very often confuses the drivers leaving risks of accidents.

`It becomes too risky to drive in the rural areas of city at night as most of the roads, medians are not equipped with fluorescent retro-reflective signs,' a taxi driver, Irfan Khan said.'

Though the roads should have to be well marked with double lanes, oblique lane, lanes for giving signals to the pedestrians, absence of these signs often put the drivers as well as the passers-by in trouble, Naeem Asghar an owner of car observed. But unfortunately there is no existence of road safety measures on the capital roads, he added.

Citizens of the capital demanded from the concerned authorities the installation of appropriate traffic signs in rural areas proper locations for the sake of road safety. (APP)