HAKA is the tenth most D populous and 17th megacity of the world. Some 300.000 motorised and 500,000 non-motorised (some put it at 700.000) vehicles ply on the nearly-2,000-kilometre road network of the city. For a metropolis like Dhaka, roads should occupy 25 per cent of the city's physical infrastructure w'hereas at present it is only eight per cent Besides, there are only 2.937 policemen controlling this huge traffic. With similar population. Delhi in India has got 12.000 and Sanghal in China 60.000.

Reasons:

1. Narrow roads 2. Inadequate roads 3. Excess of rickshaws 4. Excess of auto-rickshaws 5. Vendors on the footpaths and roads

6. Unplanned digging of roads 7. Inadequate parking space 8. Cumulative rise in the number of motorised and non-motorised vehicles

9. Railway crossing inside the

city

10. Dearth of bus and truck terminals

11. Absence of by-pass roads

12. Shortage of traffic police and equipment

13. Tendency to violate traffic rules

14. Rally and demonstration on the roads

15. Limitation in law enforcement

16. Outdated traffic laws

17. Flawed signal system

18. Drivers with forged licence

19. Roads without signs and marking

Probable Solutions:

A. Short-term

1. Restriction on number of rickshaws and only allow these to ply on lanes and alleys instead of the main

roads

2. Ban on registration of new auto-ricksnaw and import of small parts for auto-rickshaw

3. Planned digging of roads

4. Parking space

5. Changes to railway schedule for peak hours and construction of over-bridge and elevated roads at the crossings.

6. Enhancement of traffic police department with human resources and logistics

7. Dissemination of traffic . rules through electronic and print media

8. Ban on rally and demonstration on the roads

9. Steps to bring about attitudinal changes amongst bus

and truck owners associations

10 Development and renovation of key crossings in the city

11. Demarcation of lanes on the basis of speed on some key roads

12. Introduction of push-button and computer-con-trolled traffic signal system

13. Steps against forged licences

14. Arrangement to have necessary road signs and markings

B. Long-term

1. Construction of new roads

2. Improvement of bus terminals and construction of truck terminals

3. Construction of by-pass roads

4. Construction of fly-over

5 Construction of subway

6. Increase punishment under Bangladesh Penal Code and Motor Vehicles Ordinance for traffic rules violations

7. Introduction of Rickshaw Act