The City Traffic Police and District Administration have devised a comprehensive Murree Eid Traffic Plan in order to accommodate millions of visitors during this time of Eid ul Azha. As a limited geographical area, Murree is experiencing serious traffic congestion, lack of parking facilities and huge traffic jams every festive season.
While heading to Queen of the Hills with the family for Eid, it is important to keep in mind the newly-instated traffic diversions, strict legal boundaries and digital rules. Following these tips will help your loved ones have a safe, stress-free and enjoyable holiday getaway.
Daily Vehicle Entry Limits and Section 144 Enforcement
Due to directives by the Court and due to Administrative Orders, the entry in Murree has been tightly controlled in order to avoid congestion:
8,000 Vehicles in a day: Maximum of 8,000 tourist vehicles will be allowed in the city at a time. When it is filled, the flow of tourists will be sealed off at the peripheries – at the 17-Mile Toll Plaza on Islamabad Murree Expressway.
Night Time Entry Ban: No new Tourist Vehicles will enter Murree territorial limits after 5:00 PM till 5:00 AM.
To ensure safety of the public, the government has kept admission off Mall road pending the investigation, which led to the situation of the section being declared as Section 144. Now, families can only walk or visit Mall Road to the area, while single men (bachelors) and groups of motorcyclists are not allowed to enter this area at all.
One-Way Route Diversions and No-Parking Zones
To keep traffic moving on the city’s narrow streets, five major commercial and residential roads have been made one-way streets:
One-Way Roads: Viewforth Road, Bank Road, Hall Road, Kuldana Road and Ridge Bell Road will be One Way during the Eid Holidays. Heavy fines and impounding of your car will be issued if you drive in the wrong direction.
Absolute No-Parking Zones (Ward): GPO Chowk, Habib Bank Chowk, Kids Play Land, Kuldana Road. Traffic lifters will immediately drive any vehicle along the roadsides in these areas to the nearest police station.
Heavy Vehicle Restrictions: Public transport vehicles, loader vehicles and heavy commercial vehicles cannot enter the city centre at any time of the day. Heavy traffic is only allowed to travel on designated bypass roads between 1:00 AM and 7:00 AM only.
Digital Assistance and Official Helpline Services
The Punjab Government and the Punjab Police have adopted modern digital tools to help and guide tourists remotely:
Safe Tourism App: Tourists traveling to Murree will have to download this official “Safe Tourism Murree” mobile application. Current parking availability, hotel prices, real-time traffic jams and police emergency alerts are displayed on infographics.
Prior to departure from your home town, it is possible to call up the PTDC (Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation) 24/7 tourism helpline, phone no: 1422, or the special helpline of Murree Tourism Police, phone no: 1757, for the prevailing weather and road conditions.
Sunny Bank Control Room: If any vehicles break down or landslide or traffic accidents occur, you can immediately contact the central emergency traffic control room set up at Sunny Bank from 051-9269200.
Another option is to use official portals of the Punjab Police Official Portal or the National Highways and Motorway Police for real-time traffic updates and legal travel notifications.
