Managing highway traffic, gridlock in city
Sunday, 17 October 2010
Khalilur Rahman
The tragic accident at Aminbazar on the outskirts of the city last week in which a bus with 50 passengers on board skidded off the road and plunged deep into the river Turag brings to light some basic lapses which contributed to the mishap. These include reckless driving and lack of highway police patrol. The tragedy also reveals how rescue teams face such emergencies without proper equipment. It may sound strange that the salvage operation took 54 hours and after this long period the sunken bus could be lifted out of the river. By this time about a dozen dead bodies of ill-fated passengers were recovered and the rest were probably washed away. If the rescue operation following a lone accident takes so much time what will happen in the event of a major disaster like earthquake or fire in high-rise buildings is anybody's guess.
Another road accident that claimed the lives of four people took place almost at the same spot 16 days ago. Two eyewitness accounts of the Aminbazar accident say that the Savar-bound Baishakhi Paribahan bus which fell into the Turag tried to overtake another vehicle from its left side at top speed and skidded off the road and fell into the river. Some other eyewitnesses however said that the Baishakhi Paribahan bus fell into the river as the driver lost control after a tyre had bust. In any case the driver of the bus cannot shirk his responsibility as the survivors said that the vehicle was running at a top speed.
Accidents on the highways occur frequently and not all are reported. On Wednesday last six people were killed and 45 others injured in a road accident on Cox's Bazar-Chittagong highway in Chokoria Upazilla. The Cox's Bazar-bound passenger bus from Chittagong collided head on with a jeep and a micro bus. Such road accidents, often taking place on the highways, bear testimony to the fact that the highway police patrol is utterly lacking. This has encouraged the drivers, in most cases, to ply their faulty vehicles with impunity. There are instances that the helpers ply the buses instead of competent drivers.
Turning to the traffic management in Dhaka city itself we find that with the passing of each day the gridlock is getting more severe. The travelling public have the misfortune to waste their time, money and energy to negotiate the traffic jam across Dhaka city. Despite wide media coverage on the gridlock the concerned authorities have failed to achieve success in resolving the traffic chaos on the streets. We know that the government is trying hard to overcome the crisis and make the city free from gridlock.
A fortnight ago Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain announced that the government would remove all makeshift shops from footpaths for smooth use of walkways in the metropolis. The drive will start from November 1 and Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) authority has already been instructed to free the footpaths from unauthorized occupation, the minister told a DCCI-sponsored seminar on "National Communication Infrastructure: Role of Private Sector" at its conference hall on October 2. Experts, business leaders and engineers who took part in the discussion suggested for better roads and railway communication system in the country.
The communications minister in his address also unveiled a government plan to ensure hassle-free bus journey within the capital. He said more than 1000 buses would be imported soon but to be pressed into service gradually. He also announced that a number of projects including elevated expressway had been taken up to remove the traffic jam.
The assurance given by the communications minister to ease traffic jam in the city is indeed encouraging. But we want to suggest humbly that the DMP authority needs no instruction to clear the city's footpaths from unauthorised occupation. The existing DMP rule prohibits the use of footpaths for running open air shops. We suggest that the communications minister should direct the traffic managers not to allow parking of vehicles on the main thoroughfares even during peak hours.
Let us take the example of a busy road starting from opposite National Press Club up to Topkhana road crossing. A large number of automobiles and other vehicles are found parked all along this portion of the thoroughfare resulting in acute traffic jam. At times it takes 15 minuets for a CNG-run auto rickshaw to cover this small distance because of heavy traffic jam. If the road remains clear of the parked vehicles, not more than 15 seconds are required for an auto rickshaw to pass through this portion of the road. Though DMP rule does not allow parking of vehicles on the road, this is going on unabated. The problem does not require reporting to the authority as this road from National Press Club to Topkhana crossing runs along opposite Bangladesh Secretariat, the highest seat of administration. Would the DMP authority look into the matter?
Let us hope for the best.
e-mail: khalilbdh@gmail.com
The tragic accident at Aminbazar on the outskirts of the city last week in which a bus with 50 passengers on board skidded off the road and plunged deep into the river Turag brings to light some basic lapses which contributed to the mishap. These include reckless driving and lack of highway police patrol. The tragedy also reveals how rescue teams face such emergencies without proper equipment. It may sound strange that the salvage operation took 54 hours and after this long period the sunken bus could be lifted out of the river. By this time about a dozen dead bodies of ill-fated passengers were recovered and the rest were probably washed away. If the rescue operation following a lone accident takes so much time what will happen in the event of a major disaster like earthquake or fire in high-rise buildings is anybody's guess.
Another road accident that claimed the lives of four people took place almost at the same spot 16 days ago. Two eyewitness accounts of the Aminbazar accident say that the Savar-bound Baishakhi Paribahan bus which fell into the Turag tried to overtake another vehicle from its left side at top speed and skidded off the road and fell into the river. Some other eyewitnesses however said that the Baishakhi Paribahan bus fell into the river as the driver lost control after a tyre had bust. In any case the driver of the bus cannot shirk his responsibility as the survivors said that the vehicle was running at a top speed.
Accidents on the highways occur frequently and not all are reported. On Wednesday last six people were killed and 45 others injured in a road accident on Cox's Bazar-Chittagong highway in Chokoria Upazilla. The Cox's Bazar-bound passenger bus from Chittagong collided head on with a jeep and a micro bus. Such road accidents, often taking place on the highways, bear testimony to the fact that the highway police patrol is utterly lacking. This has encouraged the drivers, in most cases, to ply their faulty vehicles with impunity. There are instances that the helpers ply the buses instead of competent drivers.
Turning to the traffic management in Dhaka city itself we find that with the passing of each day the gridlock is getting more severe. The travelling public have the misfortune to waste their time, money and energy to negotiate the traffic jam across Dhaka city. Despite wide media coverage on the gridlock the concerned authorities have failed to achieve success in resolving the traffic chaos on the streets. We know that the government is trying hard to overcome the crisis and make the city free from gridlock.
A fortnight ago Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain announced that the government would remove all makeshift shops from footpaths for smooth use of walkways in the metropolis. The drive will start from November 1 and Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) authority has already been instructed to free the footpaths from unauthorized occupation, the minister told a DCCI-sponsored seminar on "National Communication Infrastructure: Role of Private Sector" at its conference hall on October 2. Experts, business leaders and engineers who took part in the discussion suggested for better roads and railway communication system in the country.
The communications minister in his address also unveiled a government plan to ensure hassle-free bus journey within the capital. He said more than 1000 buses would be imported soon but to be pressed into service gradually. He also announced that a number of projects including elevated expressway had been taken up to remove the traffic jam.
The assurance given by the communications minister to ease traffic jam in the city is indeed encouraging. But we want to suggest humbly that the DMP authority needs no instruction to clear the city's footpaths from unauthorised occupation. The existing DMP rule prohibits the use of footpaths for running open air shops. We suggest that the communications minister should direct the traffic managers not to allow parking of vehicles on the main thoroughfares even during peak hours.
Let us take the example of a busy road starting from opposite National Press Club up to Topkhana road crossing. A large number of automobiles and other vehicles are found parked all along this portion of the thoroughfare resulting in acute traffic jam. At times it takes 15 minuets for a CNG-run auto rickshaw to cover this small distance because of heavy traffic jam. If the road remains clear of the parked vehicles, not more than 15 seconds are required for an auto rickshaw to pass through this portion of the road. Though DMP rule does not allow parking of vehicles on the road, this is going on unabated. The problem does not require reporting to the authority as this road from National Press Club to Topkhana crossing runs along opposite Bangladesh Secretariat, the highest seat of administration. Would the DMP authority look into the matter?
Let us hope for the best.
e-mail: khalilbdh@gmail.com