Govt to launch city-wide school bus service to ease traffic jams

Munima Sultana The government has moved to launch school bus service throughout the city as a short term remedy for traffic jam, officials said Sunday. A meeting led by Communications Minister Obaidul Quader made the decision as part of a raft of new measures to ease Dhaka's deteriorating traffic congestion. Officials said the meeting has identified cars and vehicles parked outside the city's top schools and colleges as the leading cause of congestion and discussed ways to fix the problem. The minister ordered the Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB) and Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) to take immediate steps to launch school bus service across the capital, they said. "The minister also directed the officials to visit the schools and colleges, which are most responsible for Dhaka's city's worsening traffic conditions," said an official. Dhaka has hundreds of schools, colleges and varsities situated along its main streets and avenues, but there is only one public bus service for the schools based on Mirpur-Azimpur road. Senior police officials and Dhaka district chief told the meeting that thousands of cars and small vehicles crowd outside these schools and they are mostly parked on the streets, halting traffic for four-six hours a day. Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka district Mohibul Hoque also blamed mismanagement for the long traffic queues in front of some of the top schools, an official who attended the parley said. Viquarunnessa School at the Baily Road has a parking lot for more than 750 cars, but only a few guardians use the facility just to avoid paying parking fees, Hoque told the meeting. The communications ministry hosted the meeting in an effort to find short-term and urgent remedies for traffic jams. It mainly focused on the steps that can be adopted for two years. Representatives from Home, Shipping, Public Works, Local Government ministries, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, BRTC and DTCB attended the meeting. Leaders of transport owners and workers were also present. Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan was also there although it was not clear which side he represented Road Division Secretary MAN Siddique later told reporters the parley tried to identify the role of various government agencies in easing traffic jams in Dhaka and identified short-term cures to this effect. He said other steps include enhancing parking facility, making most of the city's roads one-way, popularising foot over-bridges and deploying mobile court to enforce traffic rules. The secretary said the problems identified during the meeting will now be discussed by a high-profile committee. Another official said the meeting decided to slap a fine of Tk 200 if any pedestrian is found to have crossed road ignoring a foot over-bridge or zebra crossing. The fine will be effective from next month, he added. The meeting, however, failed to find ways to free up parking spaces and footpath from encroachers, which officials and experts say, are a key reason for congestion.