Traffic jams in the Bangladesh capital is aggravating with every passing day. It seems, the authorities tasked with reducing it are either giving a damn to it or simply ignoring it seeing extensive media coverage of the grim situation. Newspapers focus on the nagging issue so that the concerned authorities sit together and innovate ways to give temporary relief in the short run as long-term solution like immediate decentralisation of offices is not in their grip.
Or are they keen to see officials and workers in both government and private offices to do their duties at home online without attending their offices at Topkhana Road, Motijheel, Mirpur and other areas as Bangladesh today is enjoying the fruits of online communication, thanks to programmes relating to 'Digital Bangladesh'?
A newspaper office in Dhaka has become a trend-setter of late. Some senior journalists, entrusted with reporting and editing are now doing their jobs sitting at their homes. They sit before the computers just at the time when their office hours begin and end when they used to complete their jobs in offices. The traffic situation has become so alarmingly anarchic that most of the offices either in the Secretariat or in commercial centres like Motijheel are losing staggering precious man-hours. Almost half of their office time is spent on travel from homes to their offices.
As media goes on reporting the chaotic traffic management, the Matsya Bhaban-Shahbagh route almost daily shows how indifferent our traffic managers are. Passengers in buses, mini-buses, cars and other modes of transport are seen to be falling sick. In this context, a bus passenger, apparently highly educated, was seen saying that if such trend on roads continue, most of the people-who are precious human resources with ages ranging between 18 and 45 working in government as well as private offices will be prone to psychological ailments.
A recent survey quite aptly was titled 'Dhaka's traffic jams are a recipe for mental breakdown'. The Australia Institute's report "Off to work: Commuting in Australia" contains several interesting findings applicable to Dhaka. 'Off to work' describes the highly negative impacts commuting has on our health. The definition of 'health' in this report is not limited to physical ailments; rather a broader definition is adopted, such as that used by the World Health Organisation, which defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
The biggest impact on commuting has in Dhaka is on psychological, emotional, and physiological wellbeing of thousands of office-goers, businessmen and students. The study found that "commuting strain is associated with feelings of nervousness and tension, physical pain and stiffness, irritability and fatigue, and poorer performance and satisfaction at work. Traffic congestion and crowding intensify all these effects." Increased blood pressure, musculoskeletal disorders, lowered frustration tolerance, and increased hostility and anger were also frequently cited by the study's respondents. Other Dhaka commuters cited surfing the internet, meditating, reading or chatting on the phone as time-passing and/or rage-controlling techniques.
"When road conditions are particularly bad, it's difficult to engage the mind in even the simplest activity (or to enjoy it). If your vehicle (from a CNG as opposed to an air-conditioned car) hasn't moved for 35 minutes and you're in the proximity of a large pile of garbage, surrounded by disfigured beggars and street hawkers, it's 34 degrees with humidity at 87 per cent, you're choking on exhaust fumes and listening to incessant honking and shouting", the survey said.
"Nothing helps me to stay calm while sitting idle in a jam," one bus passenger was quoted by the survey as saying. We're all in this together.
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