Five (5) Reasons To Love #SignalFreeJailRoad as a #Project

(DISCLAIMER: As much as it might seem like it, or no matter ho much you’d be tempted to think that way, this post is not an add campaign for those building the “Signal Free Jail Road”. This post is just an expression of what I, as an engineer and a policy analyst felt. Because, I know, criticism is sexy but honest appreciation is even sexier still)

You’ve read extensively about how the “Signal Free Jail Road” will benefit the city of Lahore in multiple ways in dealing with its current and future traffic problems. However, this blog is focusing on the “Signal Free Jail Road” as an infrastructure project and why should it be loved.

Any who uses this road everyday to work and back, has a pretty good idea of how challenging doing ANYTHING on this super busy intersection was. Just some of the challenges included were:

• Managing the everyday flux of the traffic in a road with massive trade centers, major hospital and a number of large educational institutions draw thousands of cars every day.

• Ensuring zero damage to life (injuries or worse)by accidents related to the project

• While doing that, keeping an aggressive pace of work, prioritizing and completing the toughest and most disruptive parts first

• Not compromising on the promised standards, planning or conservation guidelines

As it turns out, the project has been doing a near perfect job to deal with all these issues.

Both Under-Passes  are virtually almost complete

(1) Shadman Underpass

(2) Gulberg Underpass

(3) The Project uses night-time for major work

(4) Traffic management has been more or less bearable as compared to what we saw in the past

(5) Oh! And yeah, we got to keep over 96 % of all our Trees

(Images Courtesy: Habib Constructions, because i dont own a drone lol)

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.

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.