No improvement in traffic situation

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Munima Sultana
Traffic situation is unlikely to improve shortly by introducing automated signal light system as the city road network lacks sufficient number of signals, experts said Monday.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) will operate the automatic traffic lights until December 7 on a trial basis.
The experts said as there is lack of harmony in the existing signal system, the time knot for each signals cannot be maintained to help the system work.
"Without a survey for 24 hours and seven days a week on traffic behaviour, time knot of all signals cannot be programmed," said a high official of Traffic Engineer Department (TED).
The experts said the traffic law enforcers are facing difficulties to enforce automatic signal lights as they have also to give space for VIPs.
Apart from these, they said, frequent road crossing, insufficient road length, mix of motorised and non-motorised vehicles in different streets, inaccuracy in assessing peak and off hour may also linger the time of full enforcement of the DMP rule.
Although the DMP enforced the electronic signaling system from Sunday on a two week trail basis, the traffic situation has deteriorated in the city during the first two days.
Traffic police said they were using both electronically and manual signals at different points.
It, however, failed to lessen the traffic jam.
It is also found that other measures of the DMP during the trail period such as ban on parking on the roads and picking and dropping of passengers in places other than bus stations and change of lanes were not being followed strictly and the law enforcers remained reluctant in its execution failing to control the traffic at all signal points.
At present, Dhaka city has total 71 signal points, of which 68 signals were installed in the city's main thoroughfare during 2003-2004 under Dhaka Urban Transport Project.
TED officials claimed that only three to four signals were now inoperative, which include Moghbazar and Malibagh rail crossings, as the DMP was not using the signal lights to manage heavy traffic on the road.
"Apart from these, some other signal lights may be found inoperative during load shedding because of lack of backup support there," said one official.
Dr SM Saleuddin, additional executive director of Dhaka transport coordination board (DTCB), said upgradation of the city's traffic signals is under consideration of the government, but it might take time.
Under the Clean Air Sustainable Environment (CASE) project, he said, the authorities have taken steps to turn the existing signal lights into solar run system.
But its work will be implemented in 2010 said CASE Project Director Shehab Ullah.
He said though under the same project, 30 traffic signals in the heavy traffic zones would be made automatic, seven signals, however, would be operated manually.