City's traffic jam
Friday, 29 August 2008
THE month of Ramadan is just near. The capital which is experiencing severe traffic congestion is readying itself for more pressure in the month of Ramadan. The Dhaka's Police Commissioner has said that they are moving with a comprehensive plan to tackle the problem of traffic jam in the city. One of the plans include installation of CCTV to monitor traffic movement. Another plan is to raise the amount of fine for jaywalkers.
Another plan as we read in the newspapers is to ban road digging during day-time. Road digging by various agencies will be allowed at night only. This is definitely a good decision.
The above plans are chalked out by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). But there should be more plans by the government for coordinated actions by all concerned government authorities. We do not know what is the plan about the schools in the city. The schools should provide transport for ferrying students to, and from, schools because the rush of private cars during the school hours seriously affects the movement of vehicles in the city. School transport with foolproof security will discourage mothers to accompany their children to schools. Mothers or other guardians spend long hours, keeping themselves waiting at the school gates.
We need to increase the road spaces in the city. May be it will affect many people, but the authorities must do it judiciously. An east-west connecting road as planned will ease the jam further. Besides, we heard of a circular waterway connecting Mirpur and Sadarghat which will take some load off the roads.
We also heard about suburban railways shuttling between Narayanganj and Tongi, touching at industrial and commercial hubs like Fatulla, Kamalapur, Tejgaon, Banani and Uttara. If it is implemented, we think it can make a dent into the city's chronic traffic-jam problem.
Amer Khan
Dhanmandi R/A
Dhaka
Another plan as we read in the newspapers is to ban road digging during day-time. Road digging by various agencies will be allowed at night only. This is definitely a good decision.
The above plans are chalked out by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). But there should be more plans by the government for coordinated actions by all concerned government authorities. We do not know what is the plan about the schools in the city. The schools should provide transport for ferrying students to, and from, schools because the rush of private cars during the school hours seriously affects the movement of vehicles in the city. School transport with foolproof security will discourage mothers to accompany their children to schools. Mothers or other guardians spend long hours, keeping themselves waiting at the school gates.
We need to increase the road spaces in the city. May be it will affect many people, but the authorities must do it judiciously. An east-west connecting road as planned will ease the jam further. Besides, we heard of a circular waterway connecting Mirpur and Sadarghat which will take some load off the roads.
We also heard about suburban railways shuttling between Narayanganj and Tongi, touching at industrial and commercial hubs like Fatulla, Kamalapur, Tejgaon, Banani and Uttara. If it is implemented, we think it can make a dent into the city's chronic traffic-jam problem.
Amer Khan
Dhanmandi R/A
Dhaka