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A bus rider's response...

Alyson Hayes
AN article, titled "Chaos all around," published in The Daily Star on December 1 caught my attention.
I applaud the media for giving focus on recent traffic-related issues and tragedies. Just in the past month we learned of a rickshaw being knocked down by a bus travelling on the wrong side of the road, resulting in death; a journalist killed while alighting from a bus; a boy who fell from a moving bus being saved; and a pilot project to discourage jaywalking. Yet, these articles do not shed light on the full scope of this "chaos." The behaviour and actions contributing to the current state of Dhaka roadways need deeper exploration.
The traffic situation in Dhaka is terrible but it can be improved. There are signal lights in many intersections, but it is still the police who control the flow of traffic. The police do an exemplary job in managing the bottleneck. But they must also be active in regulating traffic movement, not just the passing of vehicles through intersections, to alleviate the jams. In order to remove this chaos there must be strict adherence to systematic traffic flows with lane designations; enforcement of policies and regulations against unsafe driving, which includes dangerous lane changes and driving down the wrong side; and concern for pedestrians and non-motorised vehicles.
A plan to stop jaywalking is being implemented, but will probably fail. Why? Because jaywalking in Dhaka is a complicated and multifaceted offense. People cross at non-designated intervals for convenience, but there is no break in traffic to allow for safe crossing even at intersections and crosswalks. It can be seen that one point in an intersection will have continuous traffic flow, preventing safe crossing. Jaywalking is not only a matter of
convenient crossing in Dhaka; in many cases it is safer. Crossing in the middle of the road instead of at intersections allows for more dispersed oncoming traffic which is more easily dodged. Crossing at intersections means more congested traffic, illegal U-turning vehicles, and traffic on the wrong side and on the blind side of the pedestrian.
As someone who uses the bus and/or tempo on a daily basis here in Dhaka, I get firsthand insight into the so-called “chaos" of the bus system. Knocks, stumbles, competition, and outright intentional hits are not uncommon. Time is money for the conductors and driver, and stopping is often a difficult endeavour or a costly one. It can be difficult because the riders often demand to be let down at places that are not designated as stops; therefore, giving the driver little option
to come to a complete stop for risk of holding up traffic or, worse, being hit from behind. The stops that do exist are not fit for the purpose. They are small, congested, and often in an active traffic lane; or become an active traffic lane, like in Farmgate where cars hope to move ahead a few spaces in the traffic line by using the bus stoppage lane.
In order to reduce accidents we must work together. Riders must be more cautious of their safety and demand stops at designated stoppage points, rather than just anywhere along the route for convenience. The drivers and conductors must have higher safety standards and also stop only at designated stops. Vehicles around buses must be more aware of the bus traffic and yield to them. Buses are critical to the movement of people and to the
economy in Dhaka. According to Buet, buses carry 77% of the commuting population while only making up 10% of vehicle mix in the roadways. The infrastructure of the bus system must be improved and better stoppage points constructed so that they do not interfere with moving traffic. The bus system in Dhaka clearly needs to be improved in many structural ways, but low-cost changes in behaviour and action can be implemented immediately to improve the safety and comfort of the bus transport system. Improved public transport in terms of safety, comfort, and efficiency can and will encourage more public transport users, which will reduce overall traffic congestion in Dhaka.
The writer is Associate Coordinator, Eminence Associates for Social Development.