Dhaka metropolitan city is one of the most overcrowded and jammed cities in the world. The population of the city exceeded 15 million, unusually high to accommodate the large population within the small area of land. The city's population has been increasing due to a population boom in the country. The city has been expanded in the most unplanned way, without keeping pace with the requirement of transportation facilities, adequate roads, lanes and sub-lanes. As a result the city faces unmanageable traffic systems including traffic jam. The horrible traffic jams in Dhaka city are shown in many national and international magazines which simply undermines the image of the country, reduces the flow of tourists and business travellers into the country. The traffic system of Dhaka city has been deteriorating day by day; an imminent solution seems to be enigmatic and faraway.
We have noticed that many suggestions are made and articles are published in the dailies and weeklies, many seminars are being held on traffic jams by different organisations but these end up in zero result. The sufferings of the people -- the ultra-rich and the ultra poor, the middle class group -- remain unabated and unresolved. We the Dhaka city dwellers, including the tax-payers and non-tax-payers, are bearing the excruciating paroxysm, hardship and cataclysm of incessant traffic jams that have become a chronic and deep-rooted problem without any cure or remedy. The authorities' long-term plan of building flyovers to reduce traffic jams appears to be going on at a snail's pace. The way the construction work is going on in some areas suggests that it would take many more years to complete the flyovers. In developing countries, as we notice, this type of projects is always implemented fast under plans of foreign experts who can finish the projects by working day and night. They also apply the latest technology to do it within the shortest possible time. There are ample examples in India, Malaysia, Thailand and the KSA.
The major causes of traffic jam have been pinpointed by writers and analysts on different occasions. We, the worst sufferers, deserve an immediate solution, a respite from the daily intolerable traffic jam. The country is missing many valuable man-hours, faces the waste of gas, petrol and diesel imported by spending the people's hard-earned foreign exchange. Sick and elderly patients are stuck up on roads for hours together due to traffic jams. Patients are dying on the way to hospitals and clinics off and on.
Thousands of pedestrians are found everyday walking haphazardly; crossing the roads carelessly, without using the foot over-bridges. They are violating the traffic rules, road disciplines and severely hampering and delaying the traffic and on the other hand risking their lives. All these are happening in presence of traffic police on roads.
We find some signboards and posters saying "please use the foot over-bridge". We also notice that some organisations use loud speakers and advise the people to "use foot over-bridges". All these are futile exercises having no positive impact on the people, particularly the pedestrians. The authorities concerned should take lessons from the developed world on how to ensure traffic discipline and how to make the people abide by laws. It's very simple to discipline the pedestrians by making them comply with the traffic rules. Violators of traffic rules must be penalised and in the case of serious violation they should be imprisoned. By disciplining the pedestrians, the traffic flow can be increased and this in turn will reduce the traffic jam to some extent. No extra budget would be required in this respect. "Lack of enforcement of law to free pedestrians' facilities is the foremost reason why people go on jaywalking," said M Rahmatullah, former director (transport) of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
Constructing flyovers, introducing metro rail and so on are long-term plans and involve huge financing. The authorities concerned of Dhaka city can draw up some short-term and less-costly plans to reduce the traffic problems. They can introduce more buses especially double-decker ones instead of normal buses which would occupy less space on the narrow roads and carry more passengers, encourage the private owners to import double-decker buses by reducing import duties, make the small lanes and sub-lanes wider and usable for cars wherever possible, change the present office timings in the morning and evening to reduce traffic jams during rush hours.
The traffic jams in Dhaka city make the lives of 15 million people miserable; the country loses many man-hours, the economy faces a blow, patients and elderly people suffer terribly and this crucial problem needs to be solved by short-term and long-term plans.
The writer is Group Financial Controller of a private group of industries. Email: m.jalal.hussain@gmail.com
Getting rid of traffic jam in Dhaka city
M Jalal Hussain | Published: June 28, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
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