Traffic congestion during the holy month of Ramadan has already intensified, only to cause more trouble to the commuters in the capital city. As the authorities have failed to manage the regular traffic on roads, a higher inflow of people from the rest of the country into the city puts an additional pressure. Many come to Dhaka this month expecting to earn some extra money before the Eid-ul-Fitr. Some work as rickshaw pullers in different parts of the city and some as street vendors. Some work as day labourers. Temporarily migrated women primarily work as domestic helps. Even beggars rush to the city. Thus, most of them do odd jobs and live in urban slums in poor and unhealthy conditions.
One can easily observe that the number of manually-driven rickshaws has already increased, and some of the pullers are strangers to this city. These rickshaws are adding congestion to streets and roads.
Moreover, except for some so-called VIP roads, rickshaws are now available on all the streets and corners of the city. The largely unregulated movement of the slow-paced three-wheelers here and there hinders smooth driving of motorised vehicles. The roads and streets in front of shopping centres are also occupied by rickshaws parked haphazardly. Again, as most of the shopping centres do not have adequate space for car parking, nearby streets are used for parking, sometimes narrowing road space for movement of other vehicles.
Street vendors have made things worse. Backed by local political leaders and a section of law enforcement-agency members, these vendors have made the movements of daily commuters difficult, especially in busy areas and peak times. Office-goers and others have to negotiate awful traffic and congestion due to occupation of footpaths by illegal vendors. In some areas, congestions at intersections are more as they also set up their stalls on main roads, creating bottlenecks. As Eid is approaching, the number of these vendors is also increasing on roadsides and even in corners of many busy roads.
Unplanned digging of roads and streets is another reason for increased congestion as traffic must divert. There is a common trend in the country that road digging projects usually get going immediately before the rainy season only to enhance the sufferings of the commuters and residents. When the work can be completed in winter or dry season, the different agencies do not wake up to do the necessity. Similarly, many road reconstructions or works of utility maintenance start immediately before Ramadan.
A growing number of motorcycles is another trouble. Though the two-wheeler motorised vehicle provides some relief to many by reducing the time to reach destination, it has also increased risks of accidents along with making the traffic congestions terrible. Unruly and reckless driving by many of the bikers makes the situation worse.
Finally, the lack of efficient public transport is also known to all. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult to comprehend why the authorities do not take appropriate measures to revamp the much-needed public transport in the city. They seem indifferent to the sufferings and mental torture of thousands of daily commuters who are forced to sustain loss of valuable time, energy and money. All these indicate that a smooth and efficient transportation system is yet to be a priority for the policymakers.
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