In two months, 100 people died due to potholes. A new road was opened, but within a few days, it was in the same bad condition. The commuters now have to pay double their former fare. It is 2026, and this is Karachi.
Karachi suffers from an undeniable traffic jam. There were 1,000-plus injuries and 100 deaths due to potholes on Karachi’s roads. A hundred people died not from reckless driving but due to the Karachi commute crisis.
Poor Road Conditions Across Karachi
The roads in Karachi and other parts of the province are badly maintained. Street conditions are often characterized by large potholes and broken streets in both residential and main areas. On-for-construction and in-progress roads have been dug up for no apparent reason, and projects never seem to finish. Even freshly patched up roads are poorly made, and have breaking and bumping conditions of the surfaces, leading to accidents and damage.
Potholes can become totally invisible after the rain, when the roads become waterlogged. A rider can only perceive the danger when they are already in a pothole.
For those who drive every day, there’s a marked increase in maintenance costs. Risks are even more dangerous for bikers and EV scooter riders. A car can survive a pothole. A motorcycle cannot.
The Red Line Project
The Red Line BRT project on University Road was intended to alleviate traffic difficulties. Rather, it is a manifestation of all that is bad in Karachi’s planning.
The newly opened stretch between Safari Park and Nipa Chowrangi was found to be flooded in several places within the first few days of its reopening. Road-level manhole covers were placed in the road, creating unsafe hazard conditions for motorcyclists. Four and a half years of the project have already brought too much suffering to those. Following a short reopening, traffic has been shifted once again due to the unsafe road.
Heavy Traffic and Long Commutes
Traffic jams in Karachi are too much. The commuters remain stuck for hours in heavy traffic and face the loss of motivation and time.
Bad road conditions only create confusion and huge jams on roads with no warning. On a particular day, one road is open. The next day, it is blocked with no other route. It’s up to the driver to work it out.
The rectification of urban planning and traffic management issues is the cause. Many intersections have broken traffic signals.
Everyone is subjected to mental stress. Workers arrive at work already tired from travelling. No matter if you commute by bus or any other mode of transport, it’s always the same issues and bad road conditions.
Specific Danger Zones
Residents have pointed to a number of sections of the roadway they believe are too poor for driving.
| Area | Known Issues |
| Shahrah-e-Faisal | Potholes, heavy traffic, waterlogging |
| Saddar | Congestion, broken streets, no parking |
| Gulistan-e-Johar | Dug-out roads, incomplete projects |
| Gulshan-e-Iqbal | Patch-bladed roads, potholes near Rab Medical Center |
| North Nazimabad | Uneven surfaces, poor streetlights |
| DHA | Better, but still has problem stretches |
| Korangi | Severe road damage, industrial traffic |
| Liaquatabad to Hasan Square | Continuous potholes |
| LuckOne Mall toward Nipa | Patch-bladed road, poor streetlights, poor banquets parking |
Almost 90 percent of the roads in Karachi are in bad condition.
The Human Cost
A local welfare organisation was monitoring accidents related to potholes in Karachi from 1st January 2026 till 2nd February 2026.
| Period | Deaths | Injuries |
| January 2026 | 80 | 873 |
| February 2026 | 20 | 175 |
| Total | 100 | 1,048 |
A total of 73 males, 12 females, 13 boys, and 2 girls were killed.
Adil, a daily earner, was riding his bike at night along with his wife when he got on a pothole that he couldn’t see. He broke his right leg. Both of his hands were injured by his wife. His lost ability to work is for at least two or three months.
The likelihood of fracture of arms and legs is ninety per cent if a person falls from a motorcycle, Dr Muhammad Suleman at Jinnah Hospital said. Recovery is estimated to take two to three months. When the victim is unable to work, recouping their losses is a serious issue, and the victim may suffer from financial hardship.
The Financial Burden
There are other problems associated with bad roads. Rising fuel prices are also stressing commuters.
The normal fare of Rs. 600-650 for a drive from Nazimabad to Tipu Sultan has risen to as high as Rs. 1800 for trips that are driven during peak traffic hours. The average trip is now about Rs. 700.
The average ride-hailing vehicle kilometres travelled a day is 200-250. On the Suzuki Alto, about 15 litres of petrol a day. The price of petrol was Rs. 253 per litre on 27th February. This has increased to Rs. 415 since then.
Zero Planning | The Root Cause
The issue isn’t potholes or gas prices. There is no planning.
In the 2025 EIU Global Liveability Index, Karachi is ranked 170th among 173 cities. The only cities that lie below Karachi are war-torn.
According to Nargis Rehman from Karachi Citizens and Foundation, “What war is this in Karachi, which has made it so unlivable?
The commercialisation of residential land is driving the situation further downhill for the residents, they have complained. Families’ houses are being transformed into offices and warehouses, straining infrastructure designed for different uses.
Conclusion
Karachi’s commuting problem is not a complex one. Roads are broken. Planning is absent. People are dying.
Two months had seen 100 people die due to potholes. Within days, a new road, just built, was sinking. Commuters pay twice what they formerly did, and nothing changes.
The crisis will not be over until the government sees road safety as a bigger problem instead of a bother. At present, any movement from one part of the city to the other has become a risk. Will the road be open for use? Are you going to get home safely? The answers lie unknown in Karachi in the year 2026.
