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Bus menace in Dhaka streets

MOHAMMED NAWAZISH
WE were happy that rickshaws were withdrawn from some important roads making vehicular movement easier and quicker. We were equally happy to learn that a large number of modern buses would be pressed into service to cater to passengers' needs. Indeed, Dhaka streets are now filled with fleets of buses though many are of the old stock heavily reeking and emitting roaring noise. The number is still increasing and the narrow streets are already showing signs of getting clogged creating a new sort of traffic jam that is no less undesirable than that created by slow moving rickshaws. But the real menace created by the swelling number of large-bodied vehicles centers round the core issue of traffic discipline and human safety. I am afraid the growing trend is
sending down a very ominous signal. The reverse side of the coin does not look that glittery.
A bus -- a human-hauler, doubledecker, medium or very large type -has a strong body and a very powerful engine and the driver is fully aware of the monster under his command. He knows that in case of minor hits and collisions it is the lighter vehicle that has to bear the brunt. Most drivers possess dubious driving licenses and are illiterate and stubborn. Driving such powerful and large vehicles on crowded city roads requires both skill and a very patient and cool temperament none of which is expected from these persons. Let us have a look at the present situation on Dhaka streets.
First, buses care little about speed limits and even on 90-degree turns they keep up an unusual thrust that threatens all smaller vehicles assembled near the crossing
convergence. This is sheer recklessness fraught with grave consequences.
Second, they never keep within a lane but continue swerving from lane to lane as they roar ahead. They do not care to see if another vehicle is running parallel along a different lane and a small deviation might end up in a devastating crash. Only recently I escaped miraculously as a bus in full throttle suddenly swerved right to enter the lane on which our car was cruising and in a split of a moment a large portion of the left front mudguard, including the headlight of our car, was sheared of with a loud bang. There was no previous signal or indication that the speeding bus was about a veer into a different lane to its wrong side. The bus sped off as we lay in a state of trauma. Buses are often seen moving in swarms occupying all available lanes in a
road forcing all other modes of transport out at bay.
Third, it is a common sight in Dhaka streets that buses are parked in or near the middle of the road to drop and take in passengers halting traffic flow creating severe bottleneck in the process. No amount of honking and persuasions can make them move before completing their task. To cite a few instances, look at the unearthly chaos and frenzy at Shahbag, Kalabagan, Gulistan or Farmgate areas. This practice in fact originated with the failure of the city authority to provide sufficient and clearly marked stoppage spaces for buses. Even when some marked spaces are available, the drivers would not take the trouble of edging out and queuing to halt at the given space. They get little or no resistance from on-duty traffic personnel as
they continue violating stoppage regulations. Authorities concerned have immense responsibility in this regard. The number of large-bodied buses has since leaped up and the number is still expanding. It has to be ensured that stoppage spaces allotted at different points are reasonably spacious to accommodate the flow of incoming vehicles especially during rush hours. A routine and cursory solution will serve no purpose. Traffic constabulary has to be strict in enforcing parking regulations.
I have referred only to issues relating to road safety and traffic discipline that are vital at this critical hour when buses are going to take over the place of rickshaws and, to a large extent, the private cars in view of increasing operating cost, parking problem and dreaded traffic jam. A customer-friendly and
efficient bus service is an indispensable part of modern city life all over the world but a mismanaged and disarrayed service is bound to do more harm than good. I put forward some suggestions that might prove helpful in resolving the overwhelming problem.
Drivers must possess genuine driving license and must be physically and mentally fit. I do not know how the authority will ensure it but ensure they must. It is strongly recommended that a short training course on city driving conducted by the traffic authority should be made mandatory for every driver. A 6 to 8-hour training package should be adequate to serve the purpose. The class-room environment and a face to face interaction with those responsible for controlling traffic on streets will have a positive impact on drivers. The enforcers of traffic discipline have to clearly define
what the drivers are required to do and not to do. Mere periodic announcements by microphones, and that too in garbled language, fall on deaf ears.
The maximum speed for buses has to be strictly restricted to 30mph within the city limits. The bus lanes should be clearly demarcated and no bus should normally be allowed to change lane or overtake the one in front. In keeping with modern technology, portable speed detectors and cameras to detect overtaking and swerving-off-lane should be occasionally installed at unidentified locations.
Buses will stop only at the designated points and never park alongside a stationary vehicle to create parallel rows. They will leave parking areas serially without creating confusion and disruption in normal traffic flow. It has to be ensured, however, that stoppage
points are selected carefully and well-marked, and must have enough space to handle rush hour movement of heavy vehicles. There has to be a rational configuration pattern in the schedules of trips and stoppages of buses belonging to different owners in order to avoid unnecessary congestions at certain points or on routes.
Old and rickety buses are to be withdrawn to make way for new and better ones. A good and tidy road network with adequate markings and updated automatic signaling device at crossings is a sine qua non for ideal traffic management. We are trying to induce people to adopt busculture but we have to be cautious that in doing so we do not let loose Frankenstein's monsters on roads to cause destruction to life and property. The mess-up on roads has to be cleared at all costs.