City's traffic snarls getting from bad to worse
Monday, 14 September 2009
FE Report
The city's traffic snarls are getting from bad to worse as government efforts to improve the situation during Ramadan have apparently fallen flat.
According to traffic analysts and experts, the city sees more vehicles pressed into service than the number withdrawn from streets. More than 133 new vehicles are coming onto the city streets each day against 100 vehicles seized on an average.
Besides, plying of illegal vehicles is still continuing due to limited dumping capacity of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
DMP sources said all its dumping lots have been filled up with the vehicles seized in August and September until Sunday. At present, DMP have started dumping these vehicles inside Shahbagh control room, other police stations and Rajarbagh Police Lines.
They said due to lack of capacity, they find no other way than to release these vehicles after sticking stickers in it which state "these vehicles are not allowed to ply in the capital.
"We have to release these vehicles as we do not have adequate space," DMP Commissioner AKM Shahidul Haq.
He said these vehicles were released on the ground of relocating those outside the city after taking bonds from the owners that their vehicles would be plied outside the city.
However, many commuters alleged that neither these vehicles have left the city nor the authorities concerned could check the arrival of new or old vehicles from outside the city.
The DMP Commissioner admitted that they have received such complaints but said they would take stern action if such vehicles were found plying on the city streets again.
Though it was claimed by the law enforcers that the traffic situation would improve after the closure of schools and colleges, the commuters said it failed in its assumption as the city still experiences traffic jam for hours.
According to coordination committee on traffic under the ministry of communication, until Saturday, the 276 mobile courts filed 1688 cases, which fined Tk 1.7 million. It also dumped 42 vehicles since the drive began middle of August.
DMP seized 3,578 old vehicles and those, which had no route permits since the crackdown was introduced in first week of August.
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority also conducted drive from August 9. BRTA sources said there are over 0.5 million registered vehicles in the city. Of them over 3,000 are old and unfit while a large number of others have been plying without valid papers or with fake papers.
Dr Mohammad Rahmatullah, a transport expert, said only seizure of vehicles cannot improve the city's traffic congestion. He said as the government has failed to introduce mass transport systems and infrastructures in time, it has now to focus on efficient traffic management to improve the situation.
Former director of UNESCAP, Dr Rahmatullah suggested on maximizing the use of roads by recovering the spaces now being occupied for parking and displaying goods.
"Parking on the streets must have to be stopped to ensure smooth running of the vehicles. Same as recovery of footpaths is needed to pull up the pedestrians on it from the streets as they walk on the streets due to lack of walking space on the footpath," he told the FE.
Dr Salahuddin, additional executive director of Dhaka Transport Coordination Board, said enforcement of traffic rules is also a must to improve the city's traffic situation. He admitted that hardly any one abides by traffic rules aggravating the situation.
The city's traffic snarls are getting from bad to worse as government efforts to improve the situation during Ramadan have apparently fallen flat.
According to traffic analysts and experts, the city sees more vehicles pressed into service than the number withdrawn from streets. More than 133 new vehicles are coming onto the city streets each day against 100 vehicles seized on an average.
Besides, plying of illegal vehicles is still continuing due to limited dumping capacity of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
DMP sources said all its dumping lots have been filled up with the vehicles seized in August and September until Sunday. At present, DMP have started dumping these vehicles inside Shahbagh control room, other police stations and Rajarbagh Police Lines.
They said due to lack of capacity, they find no other way than to release these vehicles after sticking stickers in it which state "these vehicles are not allowed to ply in the capital.
"We have to release these vehicles as we do not have adequate space," DMP Commissioner AKM Shahidul Haq.
He said these vehicles were released on the ground of relocating those outside the city after taking bonds from the owners that their vehicles would be plied outside the city.
However, many commuters alleged that neither these vehicles have left the city nor the authorities concerned could check the arrival of new or old vehicles from outside the city.
The DMP Commissioner admitted that they have received such complaints but said they would take stern action if such vehicles were found plying on the city streets again.
Though it was claimed by the law enforcers that the traffic situation would improve after the closure of schools and colleges, the commuters said it failed in its assumption as the city still experiences traffic jam for hours.
According to coordination committee on traffic under the ministry of communication, until Saturday, the 276 mobile courts filed 1688 cases, which fined Tk 1.7 million. It also dumped 42 vehicles since the drive began middle of August.
DMP seized 3,578 old vehicles and those, which had no route permits since the crackdown was introduced in first week of August.
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority also conducted drive from August 9. BRTA sources said there are over 0.5 million registered vehicles in the city. Of them over 3,000 are old and unfit while a large number of others have been plying without valid papers or with fake papers.
Dr Mohammad Rahmatullah, a transport expert, said only seizure of vehicles cannot improve the city's traffic congestion. He said as the government has failed to introduce mass transport systems and infrastructures in time, it has now to focus on efficient traffic management to improve the situation.
Former director of UNESCAP, Dr Rahmatullah suggested on maximizing the use of roads by recovering the spaces now being occupied for parking and displaying goods.
"Parking on the streets must have to be stopped to ensure smooth running of the vehicles. Same as recovery of footpaths is needed to pull up the pedestrians on it from the streets as they walk on the streets due to lack of walking space on the footpath," he told the FE.
Dr Salahuddin, additional executive director of Dhaka Transport Coordination Board, said enforcement of traffic rules is also a must to improve the city's traffic situation. He admitted that hardly any one abides by traffic rules aggravating the situation.