OVER the last few months, I’ve observed this scene many times around Lahore. At a crossroads, the traffic lights are out, have been switched off or are blinking on yellow; the traffic is a mess, and though there are three to four traffic police officers standing on one side, they are not even trying to manage the traffic flow. Instead, they are only interested in stopping and fining motorcyclists and drivers of commercial vehicles.

Is ensuring a smooth traffic flow not part of traffic policemen’s responsibility? Is making money for the state (or themselves) their primary function, or is ensuring safety for all through implementing a rules-based traffic flow their primary duty?

One of the first principles we teach in economics is that ‘people respond to incentives’. If the traffic wardens are more concerned about making money and meeting their quotas for traffic challans, clearly, these are incentives that have been set by the state and officers are simply responding to them. The traffic department’s message seems to be that meeting quotas and raising a certain amount from challans is more important than making sure that the traffic moves safely and freely. Is this the way to ensure better compliance? Will this lead to better traffic flows in the future? Challans and fines were meant to help ensure safety and smooth traffic on the roads, but they seem to have become an end unto themselves! I doubt the current traffic department managers are really thinking about the medium- or long-term........

© Dawn