The Lahore traffic police have imposed a ban on loader rickshaws entering the city’s major model roads, including The Mall road, Jail Road, Canal Road, Guberg Main Boulevard and Cantonment areas.

Chief Traffic Officer Amara Athar announced that loader rickshaws carrying oversized and dangerous items such as iron rods, steel pipes, T-iron bars and bamboo would no longer face mere fines, but legal action would be taken against drivers. “The increasing number of loader rickshaws carrying dangerous material poses a significant threat to the safety of other road users,” she said.

Meanwhile, over 11,000 loader rickshaws had already been issued challan tickets for violations. But stricter measures are now being enforced, with a crackdown targeting overloaded and unsafe vehicles, she said. “There will be no compromise on the safety of lives. From now on, offenders will face FIRs instead of just fines,” the CTO emphasized.