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Terrible tailbacks, agonising waits

Capital’s traffic system bogs down suddenly

Kaiiash Sarkar
Private employee Rezowan Biswas yesterday failed to attend an official meeting as he could not reach his office in time due to severe traffic jam that eats up huge manhour in the capital everyday.
He started at 8:30am from Mirpur Bangla College on a bus to attend the meeting at 10:00am and reached Bangla Motor after a three-and-a-half-hour 'odyssey'. The distance between Bangla Motor
and Bangla College is hardly 10 kilometres.
Like Rezowan, thousands of commuters experience such traffic gridlock every day. Not only business or office people, students also miss their classes and even examinations.
Commuters say the entire city traffic system has collapsed forcing thousands of vehicles to remain stranded for hours and causing untold sufferings as well as huge waste of time.
Traffic sources say the officials, especially the sergeants, are reluctant to perform their duties as they have a lot of "complaints”.
Speaking anonymously, a number of traffic sergeants allege they work hard in the stormy weather, rain and scorching sun but are "deprived of various required facilities".
In addition to the traffic cops' reluctance and lack of proper monitoring, age-old and outdated
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vehicles also add to the congestion. Sources say most of the old vehicles banned on the city roads have returned changing colours and shapes.
The sources say around 1 lakh age-old motorised vehicles from 6 lakh plying on the city roads were withdrawn soon after declaration of the state of emergency. But gradually ali those vehicles have returned to the streets as the authorities turn a blind eye to the matter.
Besides, condition of one-way roads, mainly in residential areas, has deteriorated severely. Traffic in these areas is controlled by community police, who have neither any training nor monitoring by the authorities.
Currently, 175 community policemen are working in different residential areas. But the traffic department has no control over them as they are paid by locals, educational institutions and business communities.
Increasing number of uncontrolled rickshaws also play a major role behind persisting traffic congestion. According to the Dhaka City Corporation (DCO, there are about 87,000 licensed rickshaws.
But over 5 lakh rickshaws actually ply on the city roads. During the Eid-ul-Fitr, over 50,000 to 1 lakh additional rickshaws from nearest districts arrive in Dhaka.
Besides additional rickshaws, hawkers also occupy large parts of the roads, roadside space and footpaths.
The DCC authorities have fixed at least 15 places for the hawkers to carry out holyday markets.
But the hawkers say fixed places are not appropriate for their business. Besides, they have to carry out their businesses here and there to avoid police "harassment".
Talking to The Daily Star, Joint Commissioner (Traffic) Jasim Uddin, chief of the traffic management in the capital, said, "It's true the old vehicles have returned to the city. We also have taken some measures to take action against it and announced an awarding system."
"If any traffic sergeant catches any such vehicle, he'll be awarded Tk 1,000," he said. "Every day the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority gives registration to over 100-150 new vehicles. And the nonmotorised vehicles are countless. As the roads are limited, the traffic congestion is intensifying day by day."
Asked, he said they don't have any statistics of the old-aged and outdated vehicles plying on the roads.
"We've informed the authorities concerned, mainly DCC, to control additional and unregistered rickshaws and illegal occupation by hawkers," he said.
He added they conducted raids on Tuesday on different places against illegal occupation and unregistered rickshaws and the drive would continue.
Replying to a question, the joint commissioner said 600 more community policemen would join the existing force during the Eid-ul-Fitr and they would be monitored.
Deputy Commissioner (Traffic-North) Morshed Ala told The Daily Star they would launch drives against the old and outdated vehicles and illegal rickshaws in cooperation with DCC and BRTA.
"Traffic jam is a regular problem in the city. If any alternative road like underground road system is not created and the available roads are not made spacious, the problem would remain the same," he observed.