33 Karachi Traffic Signals Fail Amid Cable Theft

Karachi commuters may be dealing with a familiar headache again: a secondary report says 33 of the city’s 94 traffic signals are dysfunctional, and cable theft is being blamed for part of the mess. If those reported figures are right, that means about 35.1% of the network is down, which is a serious hit for daily travel. The report was published on October 19, 2026 and can be read here: cable theft and 33 Karachi traffic signals.

What the report says about Karachi’s signal network

The Karachi Development Authority was linked to the 33-out-of-94 figure, but the supplied material does not include the original KDA notice or a separate official confirmation. That means we should treat the number as reported, not independently verified. For background, read our earlier coverage: Karachi Traffic Police Enforce Strict Seat Belt Rules 2025. Drivers & Passengers Fined.

If the total is accurate, then 61 signals would remain working on paper. But that does not mean every one of those 61 is running smoothly all the time. In a city like Karachi, a signal can go dark again after repair, or it can be switched to manual control when trouble starts. For background, read our earlier coverage: Karachi Traffic Police Start Fining Intercity Buses That Skip Terminals.

The same report says cable and equipment theft are part of the reason some repaired signals keep failing. It also says traffic police often step in to control junctions by hand when signals stop working. That matters for you because manual control can keep traffic moving, but it also creates confusion if drivers don’t follow instructions.

The seven locations named in the report

The report also listed seven places where cables were reportedly removed again after repair:

• Boat Basin

• Ziauddin Road

• Guru Mandir

• I.I. Chundrigar Road

• Aram Bagh

• Yaseenabad

• Singer Chowrangi

We need to be careful here. The supplied material does not prove that these seven places were all part of the same batch of 20 repaired signals, even though that’s how the story is framed in the report. So for now, the safest reading is that these are the locations named in the report, not a confirmed live list of every failed signal in Karachi.

For a city already known for signal problems, this is not new pain. Dawn reported on December 17, 2023 that more than half of Karachi’s traffic signals were out of order at that time: Dawn’s December 2023 report. That older story does not confirm the 2026 figures, but it does show that signal reliability has been a long-running issue.

What this means for your daily drive

For now, the real impact is simple: expect slower crossings, more stop-start traffic, and more guesswork at busy intersections.

If you drive through any of the areas named above, keep these points in mind:

• Slow down well before the junction.

• Don’t assume a dead signal gives you priority.

• Follow traffic police directions first.

• Keep the junction clear if traffic ahead is stuck.

• Leave extra time if your route passes through Boat Basin, Ziauddin Road, Guru Mandir, I.I. Chundrigar Road, Aram Bagh, Yaseenabad, or Singer Chowrangi.

That last part matters more than it sounds. A dark signal can turn a normal 10-minute stretch into a long queue if drivers start pushing through at the same time.

Conclusion

The main takeaway is uncertainty. A reported 33 signals are dysfunctional in Karachi, and cable theft appears to be part of the problem, but the supplied material does not give us an official live status for every intersection. Until authorities publish a verified update, drivers should expect delays, follow traffic police instructions, and build in extra travel time near the reported trouble spots.

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