Unauthorised rickshaws banned on major Karachi roads to tackle traffic chaos

• Unauthorised rickshaws banned on Sharea Faisal, II Chundrigar Road.
• Sharea Qauaideen, Rashid Minhas Road also subject to rickshaw ban.
• Police report blames rickshaws as significant cause of congestion.

KARACHI: In a move aimed at addressing the worsening traffic situation in the metropolis, the authorities have imposed a two-month ban on the operation of unauthorised one-plus-two and one-plus-four motor cab rickshaws on eleven major roads across the city, The News reported on Wednesday.

The decision, announced by Karachi commissioner Syed Hasan Naqvi, was made on the recommendation of the Traffic deputy inspector general (DIG) and has been enacted under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

The ban would remain in effect from April 15 to June 14, 2025, and violators would be dealt under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

The move comes against the backdrop of worsening traffic flow due to congestion in the city coupled with an alarming increase in traffic accident-related fatalities which have resulted in the deaths of over 250 people — of which 85 were caused by accidents involving heavy vehicles.

The alarming rise in fatalities sparked widespread public outrage and protests with the public even resorting to setting such heavy vehicles on fire.

The alarming traffic situation coupled with the public outrage has led to the Sindh government imposing a day-time ban on the movement of heavy vehicles in Karachi coupled with stringent measures such as a 30 kilometres per hour speed limit for heavy transport vehicles (HTVs) operating in the city.

The latest rickshaw ban comes in light of a traffic police report which pointed out that rickshaws operating without official permits and following self-designated routes had become a significant cause of traffic congestion. These vehicles were said to obstruct traffic and pose safety risks, particularly on key arteries of the city.

The key roads subject to the rickshaw ban include Sharea Faisal (from the Metropole signal to Madam Apartment); II Chundrigar Road (from Tower to Shaheen Complex); Sharea Qauaideen (from Numaish Chowrangi to Sharae Faisal, Nursery);  Sher Shah Suri Road (from Metric Board Office to Nagan Chowrangi); Shaheed-e-Millat Road (from Jail Chowrangi to Shaheed Millat Expressway); Abdullah Haroon Road (Do Talwar from Hashoo Centre, Mobile Market via Hoshan); Khayaban-e-Iqbal (Do Talwar to Sharea Firdousi up to Abdullah Shah Ghazi Shrine); Stadium Road (from Millennium Mall to New Town Police Station); Sir Shah Suleman Road and Sir Habib Ibrahim Rahmatullah Road (from Hassan Square to Karsaz); Rashid Minhas Road (from Drigh Road to Sohrab Goth) and Mauripur Road (from Gulbai to ICI Bridge).