The Lahore High Court (LHC) was informed on Friday that 50% of rickshaw drivers in the city operate without a valid license. Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Lahore, Dr. Athar Waheed, disclosed this before Justice Shahid Karim during a hearing on petitions seeking stronger anti-smog measures.
Dr. Waheed stated that Sundays have been set aside for rickshaw drivers to obtain licenses, and unions have been advised to introduce a uniform for drivers. He also recommended converting vacant plots into parking areas through public-private partnerships to ease congestion.
Expressing concern over traffic violations, he noted that owners of large vehicles often disregard laws. He proposed discouraging luxury cars and expanding public transport options to address the issue. Work is underway to establish designated rickshaw parking points, similar to allocated pushcart spaces, he added.
Helmets are now mandatory for motorcycle riders and passengers including loader rickshaw drivers. Any government official caught without a helmet will be fined, with their department notified.
Dr. Waheed further suggested lowering license fees for women and transgender individuals to encourage participation in public transport driving, reporting that 18,000 women have already received driving training.
The traffic authorities only doubts on motorcycle riders though they are also in very large number violates but rickshaw, chingchi and all commercial drivers are being supported to violate by traffic wardons themselves. They just try to challan car and motorcycle drivers applying fradulant tricks and thats all.