Errant bus drivers and ban on honking
Thursday, 21 June 2007
The traffic system of Dhaka is still in a mess in the absence of proper enforcement of laws and rules by the authorities concerned.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has banned honking in some important and busy streets of the capital city without addressing the basic deficiencies in the traffic system. At times, motor vehicle owners/ drivers are penalized by the on-duty traffic sergeants for violating the order.
There is no denying that honking is a menace in terms of sound pollution and nobody should have any reason to grumble about the DMP order banning it. Yet many tend to view the order a bit adventurous considering the fact that DMP is allowing almost a free-for-all situation in other areas of traffic system.
For instance, most drivers of the city's public buses give a damn to traffic laws and rules and the on-duty traffic police, for reasons best known to them, ignore flagrant violation of laws and rules that meant for ensuring safety and order on the streets.
The public buses do not care where the authorized bus stoppages are and pick up passengers from any point-even from middle of the roads-without caring the safety and safe passage of other vehicles behind them. At the bus stoppages, they drivers park buses in a haphazard manner blocking normal traffic movement. Then again, the buses do very often overtake other vehicles from the wrong side. Under such circumstances, what should a man/ woman driving a private vehicle do? Will it not be natural on his/ her part to honk asking the bus driver blocking the road to make room for other vehicles behind him? Will it then be fair to punish the driver of the car for honking?
The DMP should first discipline the bus drivers, take actions against the buses that are plying on the streets without valid papers and correct other factors bedeviling the city's traffic system.
Muhammad Ali
Kalshi, Mirpur
Dhaka
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has banned honking in some important and busy streets of the capital city without addressing the basic deficiencies in the traffic system. At times, motor vehicle owners/ drivers are penalized by the on-duty traffic sergeants for violating the order.
There is no denying that honking is a menace in terms of sound pollution and nobody should have any reason to grumble about the DMP order banning it. Yet many tend to view the order a bit adventurous considering the fact that DMP is allowing almost a free-for-all situation in other areas of traffic system.
For instance, most drivers of the city's public buses give a damn to traffic laws and rules and the on-duty traffic police, for reasons best known to them, ignore flagrant violation of laws and rules that meant for ensuring safety and order on the streets.
The public buses do not care where the authorized bus stoppages are and pick up passengers from any point-even from middle of the roads-without caring the safety and safe passage of other vehicles behind them. At the bus stoppages, they drivers park buses in a haphazard manner blocking normal traffic movement. Then again, the buses do very often overtake other vehicles from the wrong side. Under such circumstances, what should a man/ woman driving a private vehicle do? Will it not be natural on his/ her part to honk asking the bus driver blocking the road to make room for other vehicles behind him? Will it then be fair to punish the driver of the car for honking?
The DMP should first discipline the bus drivers, take actions against the buses that are plying on the streets without valid papers and correct other factors bedeviling the city's traffic system.
Muhammad Ali
Kalshi, Mirpur
Dhaka