Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) has taken an initiative to focus on properly managing the lanes of the city roads for easing the traffic situation that often remains unbearably congested, officials said.
They said the authority is expected to strengthen its traffic management committee to intensify coordination among relevant agencies for improving the lane management.
The latest initiative comes after the DTCA's reservation against a cabinet decision, in principle though, to open separate lanes for the VIPs (very important persons).
"With this initiative, the traffic congestion will improve from the situation that is unbearable and the VIPs would then be able to move easily," said an official at the DTCA.
He said the DTCA has already expressed its reservation against introducing separate lanes for the VIPs at a meeting among the agencies concerned on February 6.
Officials said the new initiative would be taken as the city roads have already been occupied simultaneously by slow-and fast-moving vehicles. There is lot of scopes for improvement in the lane management.
They said that a joint survey with concerned agencies, including Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), would be conducted soon in this regard.
The survey is expected to help identify the focus areas -- for example lane marking, speed limit, parking fees, congestion charges etc.
The DTCA officials said that as the city is likely to get a number of mass transit services including metro rails, dedicated bus lane, company bus services within few years, the traffic management committee's function would bring some changes in the traffic situation.
The committee was supposed to sit within a month or two but, sources said, it had only two meetings in last six months. There were, however, no significant changes in the traffic management.
When asked, DTCA executive director Syed Ahmed admitted that the meetings could not bring any solution to the city's traffic movement.
"We want to make this committee active. Evaluating and monitoring of the decisions to be taken in the committee can create better scopes for emergency vehicles like ambulances," he told the FE.
Though the DTCA is entitled by law to coordinate with all concerned regarding the city's transport related planning, it failed to play its due role for lack of manpower and, political and governance support.
The Strategic Transport Plan (STP), a 20-year transport plan for the city under the DTCA, proposed five mass rapid transit lines, two bus rapid transit lines along with eight radial roads, six expressways and bus network to support the city's growing traffic.
It also recommended improving traffic management, but the signal system, separate lanes for slow-moving and fast-moving vehicles could not be made functional.
The automatic signal system could not be introduced in the city, despite upgraded with modern signal lights, due to lack of support from the traffic police and drivers.
DTCA is now installing signal system in four intersections again as a test case to use each of the lanes of the intersections without traffic police.
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