Why NOT to Blame All Evil on Building Road Infrastructure in #Pakistan

I am writing this particular blog because every disaster and every problem in our beloved country appears to be because we are building roads (hilarious? I know).

In case of deaths due to heat surge….. We Criticize Motorways, Mass Public Transits Metro, Underpasses, Flyovers. In Case of Floods……………….We Criticize Motorways, Mass Public Transits Metro, Underpasses, Flyovers. In case of Law and Order Crisis………….We Criticize Motorways, Mass Public Transits Metro, Underpasses, Flyovers. Here is why it is wrong and stupid.

This attitude has reached crazy levels where we, as a nation, refuse to use a single brain cell and understand the how national economies work. So I’ve put together some food for thought in bullet points, in the easiest possible words, to help understand WHY is focusing on roads/transport infrastructure/ traffic engineering NOT WRONG, infact why is its CRUCIALLY ESSENTIAL.

Development is related at improving the welfare of a society through appropriate social, political and economic conditions. The expected outcomes are quantitative and qualitative improvements in human capital (e.g. income and education levels) as well as physical capital such infrastructures (utilities, transport, telecommunications).Development cannot occur without both as infrastructures cannot remain effective without proper operations and maintenance while economic activities cannot take place without an infrastructure base.

When transport systems are deficient in terms of capacity or reliability, they can have an economic cost such as reduced or missed opportunities and lower quality of life.

When transport systems are efficient, they provide economic and social opportunities and benefits that result in positive multipliers effects such as better accessibility to markets, employment and additional investments.

Assessing the economic importance of Transport Infrastructure & Transportation

• Core. The most fundamental impacts of transportation relate to the physical capacity to convey passengers and goods and the associated costs to support this mobility. This involves the setting of routes enabling new or existing interactions between economic entities.

• Operational. Improvement in the time performance, reliability, reduced loss or damage, better utilization level of existing transportation assets benefiting its users as passengers and freight are conveyed more rapidly and with less delays.

• Geographical. Access to a wider market base where economies of scale in production, (raw materials, parts, energy or labor) and broader markets for diverse outputs (intermediate and finished goods).

• Macroeconomic level Transportation and the mobility it confers are linked to a level of output, employment and income within a national economy. In many developed countries, transportation accounts between 6% and 12% of the GDP.

• Microeconomic level: Transportation is linked to producer, consumer and production costs. The importance of specific transport activities and infrastructure can thus be assessed for each sector of the economy. Usually, higher income levels are associated with a greater share of transportation in consumption expenses. Transportation accounts on average between 10% and 15% of household expenditures, while it accounts around 4% of the costs of each unit of output in manufacturing, but this figure varies greatly according to sub sectors.

• Direct impacts. The outcome of improved capacity and efficiency where transport provides employment, added value, larger markets as well as time and costs improvements. The overall demand of an economy is increasing.

• Indirect impacts. Indirect value-added and jobs are the result of local purchases by companies directly dependent upon transport activity.

• Induced impacts. The outcome of the economic multiplier effects where the price of commodities, goods or services drops and/or their variety increases. For instance, the steel industry requires cost efficient import of iron ore and coal for the blast furnaces and export activities for finished products such as steel booms and coils. Manufacturers and retail outlets and distribution centers handling imported containerized cargo rely on efficient transport and seaport operations.

Step-Up Revolution – Lahore Traffic Engineering

     With every passing phase of the construction of Jail Road Signal Free Corridor, the criticism by minority sections is being answered. Every single lie and negative propaganda has been exposed as the picture of the final product that is the #SignalFreeJailRoad emerges on scene. 

There can be a thousand words written to unmask the hypocrisy of those who went to the extent of blocking this project through the esteemed Court. However, it is best to let the visual proof apprise our readership with what is happening on ground during the construction of this project.

So lets answer those objections one by one.

(1) This Project Is An All Out War On Trees, Does Not Care About Environment, Is Eager to Cut Down Trees/Plantation

Special measures being taken ensure the possible survival of every tree.

(2) It Would Be Impossible To Commute Through Main BLVD Intersection During Construction

The traffic flow planning done by the project professionals made it possible for the traffic to operate smoothly.

(3) Shadman Underpass Construction Will Paralyze The Traffic 

As we can see the ‘Paralyzed ‘ traffic

(4) The Trees and GreenBelts Alongside Jail Road Will Be Comprpmised/ Eliminated

The greenbelts and conserved trees along both sides

(Photo Credits: Habib Construction- because I dont have a drone cam 😛 )

Lahore & 10 Other Cities With Metro Train Service

Lahore

The project is part of the metro network in the city and when completed, it will connect Raiwind, Multan Road, Mcleod Road, Lahore Junction Railway Station and the Grand Trunk Road. It will be the first line of the Lahore Metro, which is country’s first mass rapid transit train system. It would also be financed and developed by the Chinese government.

The corridor would be capable of accommodating two trains running both up and down the track, ferrying up to 30,000 passengers per hour.

The project will run on a 27.1 kilometre track, of which 25.4 kilometres will be elevated. The service will initially benefit around 250,000 passengers a day and this capacity will be increased to 500,000 passengers daily by 2025.

Tokyo

The numbers of commuters moved around in the Japanese capital by train dwarfs those of other cities. But despite the famed scenes of white-gloved officials employed to pack more passengers into the subway’s sardine cans, to the point where exhausted commuters can sleep standing up, trains run frequently and efficiently, and few journeys need be like this, says the Guardian’s Tokyo correspondent Justin McCurry. Most travellers are amazingly considerate: with poster campaigns to remind passengers of their manners, women-only carriages at peak times, and rail staff formally apologising for any aberrations on punctuality. And the trains go far and fast: there are over 800 stations in the wider metropolitan area, and an estimated 40m journeys daily on its interconnected subway systems and suburban rail lines.

Moscow

The wonderful 200-mile transit system of the Russian capital, developed under Stalin from 1935, may look like a museum piece, complete with old Soviet music playing late at night and unsmiling officials barking instructions. But it also works: a cheap and reliable service with frequent trains that 7 million Muscovites crowd on to day and night. Its unique appeal is the astonishing artwork and architecture: Soviet-era murals, statues of heroic workers, even chandeliers in some stations – and very few adverts even now, making it an almost uniquely relaxing mental space.

Hong Kong

Just about everyone recognizes this as one of the best: the Mass Transit System has a punctuality record, cleanliness and efficiency that rivals can only dream of, and its operations are regarded as the gold standard by many in the transport industry. Around 99.9% of the metro trains run on time. But then Hong Kong can afford to invest: it’s one of the most profitable urban train services worldwide, and one of a select few where passenger fares actually outstrip running costs.

Shanghai

You could happily include several other Chinese cities in the top 10 – certainly Beijing and Guangzhou. No one has built metros on the speed and scale that is being achieved in China, where new systems are being thrown up at a phenomenal rate, says David Briginshaw, editor-in-chief of the International Railway Journal. But he picks Shanghai, where a 14-line metro system has been put together in two decades and is used by 7 million passengers daily. Plus it boasts the Maglev link from airport to city centre; capable of speeds upwards of 250mph and bringing a tear to the eye of enthusiasts who have seen the technology largely eschewed elsewhere.

Berlin

Berliners may grumble about some parts of the extensive U-Bahn and S-Bahn services that cross the city, but on the whole they are very reliable and frequent. The cold war and physical division of Berlin saw some lines divided and irregular growth of the train systems over the decades – the U-Bahn becoming more developed in the west while an excellent tram service took the strain in the east – but the reopening of stations and investment since has left the city well served for the most part. The U1 line, which cuts through Kreuzberg, is shabby but has most character – enough to inspire a popular German musical, Linie 1.

Paris

The late-19th-century labourers who hacked deep under the earth in London might pooh-pooh the efforts of their continental cousins who largely ran lines in shallow tunnels under Paris’s grand avenues. But that also means many quickly accessible lines with entrances all over the city and a great concentration of metropolitan stops (more than 300) – nowhere in the centre are you more than 500m from a station, many with lovely floral, art nouveau entrances. And ooh la la, the RER! – the jumbo underground trains whizz many more from the suburbs or across town, although some of the alleged interchanges can prove a punishing journey for the unwary.

Seoul

On some measurements, the South Korean capital’s subway system could be considered a chart-topper – 19 lines stretching 600 miles across the wider urban area, with 10 million passengers a day. As you’d expect in this hi-tech city, Seoul’s subway was also a pioneer of smart tickets and other mod cons on trains, and is a relatively simple system to use. Turns 40 this year.

New York

A sprawling, clattering monster of a subway system that can be as infuriating as it is delightful. The flat fare is $2.50 (£1.50), but visitors may be astonished by the lack of basic information – while its famed 24-7 working is only on some lines on a mysterious schedule. But the subway transports 5.6 million riders every day around its unusual system of parallel express and local lines, with commuters hopping between trains heading in the same direction. Some lines in the outer boroughs still run on distinctive elevated sections, and four lines run precariously over the rickety Manhattan bridge, surviving while hurricane Sandy gave other parts of the network a battering. Stations can be cramped, filthy, and unbearably hot in summer, but the trains are generally bright, clean and air-conditioned.

Singapore

Despite the uproar recently caused by a British banker who compared Singapore’s public transport unfavourably to his Porsche, most expats and locals apparently agree that the Mass Rapid Transport system is one of the cleanest and most efficient around. Just 27 years old and still expanding – the latest downtown line has only been operating since December 2013 – its 100-plus stations already span the city-state, with extensions and new lines planned. Part underground, part-elevated, innovative information displays and heavy-duty escalators help get the 2.6 million daily riders to the platforms and air-conditioned trains.

London

The trains and platforms of the world’s original underground rail system may look a little cramped compared to the gleaming mass transit systems of the far east but, even at 151 years old, its complex network has impressive scope. If parts are creaking, recent upgrades – and the forthcoming addition of Crossrail and enhanced Thameslink services to do more of the heavy lifting – keeps London firmly in the top rank. Great history, mouldbreaking design in maps and signs, and to top it all, claims London Underground boss Mike Brown, no other metro would envisage nice comfy padded seats: “The British bottom is very sensitive.”

Six Structures That Define Lahore – The Past Present & Future

Ever since its birth, the the phenomenon that is “Lahore” has been defined by its ungodly and magnificent  structures, in addition to its culture and food.

Be it the Lahore Fort, the Badshahi Mosque, the Minar-e-Pakistan, the Shalimar Gardens, the Choburji, the mall road Bank Square or the Chairing Cross and is Summit Minar, these structures have condensed and conserved in them, the history of the eras they were built in.
For decades, generations after generations marvelled the extravaganza of the rich and futuristic vision of the Lahori architecture and tried adding their humble bit too the heritage.

However we’ve not been completely  honest with ourselves or to the contributions of these people.
Like everything else we continue to be a nation stuck in the past. A nation fond of glorifying what’s done, being nostalgic, yet scared, unaccepting and unsure to embrace even the Present, let alone the future.
So today, let’s break this curse. Today, let’s open our minds and hearts to our city. Today let’s celebrate everything monumental that contributes to the magnificence of the Lahore that was that is and the Lahore it can! and will be!

Lakshmi Mansion – Lakshmi Chowk

Lakshmi Building has reverberated with activity since it was erected circa 1935.The chowk is named after the culturally significant Lakshmi Building that stands nearby. The area surrounding thechowk was considered a hub of culture, art and entertainment even before Partition; and while its cultural significance has dimmed with the passage of time, Lakshmi Chowk remains a busy area thanks to the dining and entertainment options it provides.

Arfa Karim Tower

An information technology park in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, built in 2009It is biggest and most advanced IT park in Punjab. It also is the tallest building in the city and signifies a major step in the City’s journey to the tech-oriented future.

Chauburji

The establishment of this garden is attributed to Mughal Princess Zeb-un-Nisa, 1646 AD, which appears in one of the inscriptions on the gateway.It is one of the most famous monuments among the structures and buildings of the Mughal era in the city of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.

In the historic city of Lahore, on the road that led southwards to Multan, the Chauburji gateway remains of an extensive garden known to have existed in Mughal times.

Chairing Cross & Summit Minar

Chairing Cross, renamed Faisal Square (“Faisal Chowk” in Urdu and Punjabi), and now officially renamed as Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam to honor the founder of the nation of Pakistan, is a neighborhood of Lahore, Pakistan, located on Mall Road. Laid out during the British period, it is named for Chairing Cross in London.

Until 1951 a marble pavilion at Charing Cross displayed a bronze statue of Queen Victoria, but now the statue’s place in the pavilion is occupied by a bronze replica of the Quran.

The Islamic Summit Minar is an obelisk-shape structure built near the Charing Cross, Mall Road in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was built to commemorate the Organisation of Islamic Conference held in Lahore in 1974.

Aazadi Chowk – Fort & Badshahi Mosque

Azadi chowk flyover is situated in Lahore city of punjab Pakistan. The total length of azadi chowk flyover interchange is 2.53-km. 200 thousands vehicles will benefit daily from this project and Rs 900 million will be saved annually in fuel.  In the photos see the beautiful view of Azadi chowk flyover.This flyover is contructed in a limit time of duration which is also a record. Azadi chowk flyover will benefit the people of lahore as well as people coming out of Lahore.

Kalma Chowk

Kalma Chowk is a famous town square, chowk and road intersection in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.[1] It is one of the city’s busiest intersections in terms of traffic. Kalma Chowk Flyover is passing over it. It is the intersection of main roads, Ferozepur Road and Main Boulevard Garden Town and Main Boulevard Gulberg.

Recently the wonderful overhead built at this intersection has served a long awaited solution to city’s traffic in addition to adding to the beautiful roadways in the provincial metropolis.