Traffic gridlocks and harsh realities
Monday, 3 August 2009
Shamsul Huq Zahid
Dhaka's traffic system is in a total mess. May it be noon or midnight, main road arteries of the city remain clogged with vehicular traffic. Following a heavy to moderate rain or movement of a VVIP, the situation turns worse. Commuters have to remain confined in their immobile vehicles for hours together in traffic gridlocks.
The Prime Minister a few days back ordered the departments concerned to take immediate actions to ease the Dhaka's traffic situation. But no tangible effect of the order is being experienced on the streets until now.
It does appear from the situation in Dhaka streets that the traffic police have been overtaken by sloth. Traffic sergeants these days are usually found active during the movement of the VVIPs and at a few important road crossings. They are hardly visible on the streets during most other times. They spend time gossiping inside permanent and temporary police boxes at important road crossings or on the pavements.
The traffic division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police might take exception to the above observation or even feel tempted to issue a protest note. But before reacting, the men engaged in the management of Dhaka's traffic should search their own souls. Notwithstanding the fact that the number of vehicles has increased substantially in recent years, the DMP could manage the traffic better than what is now had it been sincere in carrying out its responsibility.
The carelessness of the traffic police has reached to such a point that pedal-rickshaws and vans are plying the roads freely that are off-limits to such vehicles. Even rickshaws are being allowed to move through the Abdul Ghani Road, located on the south of the secretariat, the main seat of the country's administration, during office hours.
Interestingly, the DMP has recently declared nine more important intersections, including level crossings, off-limit to rickshaws. But enforcement of the decision is yet to take place.
Any plea to bar rickshaws from playing the city streets might appear rather cruel to many since the rickshaws do cater to transport needs of hundreds of thousands of people everyday. Besides, at least 1.0 million poor people earn their livelihoods by pulling a guesstimated 0.5 million licenced and un-licenced pedal rickshaws. This is, no doubt, a sensitive issue.
But the authorities cannot also ignore the plight of the motor vehicle owners who pays about Tk 6000 every year as motor vehicle or road tax, in addition to fees for checking fitness of their vehicles by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority. They can genuinely demand enough space on the roads for safe and free movement of their vehicles.
Moreover, out of 0.5 million rickshaws, nearly 80,000 have valid licences issued by the Dhaka City Corporation and the rest are operating with number plates supplied by some unauthorized organizations. Neither the DCC nor the DMP has ever made any serious attempt to drive out illegal rickshaws from the city streets. However, they need not be blamed because no government was ever willing to take such a harsh move because of possible political and economic repercussions. But Dhakaites, despite their initial difficulties, have accepted the move to make certain important roads off-limit to rickshaws and vans. So, the reason behind allowing rickshaws to move freely on these roads during peak hours is very hard to understand.
Besides, it remains a mystery why the traffic police, in spite of repeated media pleadings, are ignoring the need for punishing the errant bus drivers and eliminating the buses that are not roadworthy.
It does not need any elaboration that erratic plying of buses is one of the major causes of traffic congestion in Dhaka city. Bus drivers park their vehicles according to their whims. They pick or drop passengers from middle of the roads, caring little about the vehicles behind. Such careless driving not only contributes to traffic jams but also considered as one of the major causes of fatal road accidents.
The owners of buses are yet another group of people who, apparently, have the power and clout to get away with their deliberate breach of traffic rules. More than 50 per cent of the passenger buses plying the city streets are not roadworthy either for not having valid documents or for not being fitted with necessary equipment and gadgets. Most buses do not have their backlights or indicators. The vehicles trailing these buses have to drive very cautiously.
The people often are being told about tall plans to build highly expensive elevated expressways, flyovers, subways etc. The plans would be implemented some day because of the very need. But implementation of those would take several years.
In the meanwhile, there must be efforts on the part of the government to improve the ever-deteriorating traffic situation. The traffic division and the officials concerned need to be activated. The orders relating to the making of the roads off-limit to rickshaws and vans must be enforced properly. No bus should be allowed to stay at a bus stoppage more than a minute. Traffic sergeants should impose heavy fines from buses obstructing vehicular movements. The buses not fitted with necessary equipment and gadgets should be ordered to go off the streets. If necessary, the Motor Vehicle Act should be amended to ensure smooth traffic management in the city.
Dhaka's traffic system is in a total mess. May it be noon or midnight, main road arteries of the city remain clogged with vehicular traffic. Following a heavy to moderate rain or movement of a VVIP, the situation turns worse. Commuters have to remain confined in their immobile vehicles for hours together in traffic gridlocks.
The Prime Minister a few days back ordered the departments concerned to take immediate actions to ease the Dhaka's traffic situation. But no tangible effect of the order is being experienced on the streets until now.
It does appear from the situation in Dhaka streets that the traffic police have been overtaken by sloth. Traffic sergeants these days are usually found active during the movement of the VVIPs and at a few important road crossings. They are hardly visible on the streets during most other times. They spend time gossiping inside permanent and temporary police boxes at important road crossings or on the pavements.
The traffic division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police might take exception to the above observation or even feel tempted to issue a protest note. But before reacting, the men engaged in the management of Dhaka's traffic should search their own souls. Notwithstanding the fact that the number of vehicles has increased substantially in recent years, the DMP could manage the traffic better than what is now had it been sincere in carrying out its responsibility.
The carelessness of the traffic police has reached to such a point that pedal-rickshaws and vans are plying the roads freely that are off-limits to such vehicles. Even rickshaws are being allowed to move through the Abdul Ghani Road, located on the south of the secretariat, the main seat of the country's administration, during office hours.
Interestingly, the DMP has recently declared nine more important intersections, including level crossings, off-limit to rickshaws. But enforcement of the decision is yet to take place.
Any plea to bar rickshaws from playing the city streets might appear rather cruel to many since the rickshaws do cater to transport needs of hundreds of thousands of people everyday. Besides, at least 1.0 million poor people earn their livelihoods by pulling a guesstimated 0.5 million licenced and un-licenced pedal rickshaws. This is, no doubt, a sensitive issue.
But the authorities cannot also ignore the plight of the motor vehicle owners who pays about Tk 6000 every year as motor vehicle or road tax, in addition to fees for checking fitness of their vehicles by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority. They can genuinely demand enough space on the roads for safe and free movement of their vehicles.
Moreover, out of 0.5 million rickshaws, nearly 80,000 have valid licences issued by the Dhaka City Corporation and the rest are operating with number plates supplied by some unauthorized organizations. Neither the DCC nor the DMP has ever made any serious attempt to drive out illegal rickshaws from the city streets. However, they need not be blamed because no government was ever willing to take such a harsh move because of possible political and economic repercussions. But Dhakaites, despite their initial difficulties, have accepted the move to make certain important roads off-limit to rickshaws and vans. So, the reason behind allowing rickshaws to move freely on these roads during peak hours is very hard to understand.
Besides, it remains a mystery why the traffic police, in spite of repeated media pleadings, are ignoring the need for punishing the errant bus drivers and eliminating the buses that are not roadworthy.
It does not need any elaboration that erratic plying of buses is one of the major causes of traffic congestion in Dhaka city. Bus drivers park their vehicles according to their whims. They pick or drop passengers from middle of the roads, caring little about the vehicles behind. Such careless driving not only contributes to traffic jams but also considered as one of the major causes of fatal road accidents.
The owners of buses are yet another group of people who, apparently, have the power and clout to get away with their deliberate breach of traffic rules. More than 50 per cent of the passenger buses plying the city streets are not roadworthy either for not having valid documents or for not being fitted with necessary equipment and gadgets. Most buses do not have their backlights or indicators. The vehicles trailing these buses have to drive very cautiously.
The people often are being told about tall plans to build highly expensive elevated expressways, flyovers, subways etc. The plans would be implemented some day because of the very need. But implementation of those would take several years.
In the meanwhile, there must be efforts on the part of the government to improve the ever-deteriorating traffic situation. The traffic division and the officials concerned need to be activated. The orders relating to the making of the roads off-limit to rickshaws and vans must be enforced properly. No bus should be allowed to stay at a bus stoppage more than a minute. Traffic sergeants should impose heavy fines from buses obstructing vehicular movements. The buses not fitted with necessary equipment and gadgets should be ordered to go off the streets. If necessary, the Motor Vehicle Act should be amended to ensure smooth traffic management in the city.