Traffic jam on Dhaka roads
Photo: STAR
Anyone here as well as a visitor from abroad has to go through the mess and everyone asks if any administration in Bangladesh is working. Shame to the people in charge. Patients on ambulance rarely reach the hospital emergency. We are a poor country and the roads are quite wide but mismanaged. Keeping as it is, can we not mark the sides for ambulances, emergency services and VIP traffic? That way at least the administration can be clear to their conscience that they have made it possible for sick persons to reach emergency and fire fighters the spots in time. The slicing out of the road won't hinder the traffic. I am sure everyone here knows that the major source of trouble is the unruly buses. At any time I have seen and counted at least 10 -12 buses following each other and competing to pick up passengers. They have no timetable and are waiting anywhere and everywhere. In many cases the bus stops have been placed either at the turnings and/or next to the traffic lights. There are traffic police and sergeants who are either unfit or unwilling to do the jobs they are being paid for. There is no supervision by seniors. I am not an expert in the field but observing the mess on the road, may I suggest something for the experts to consider. (1) These days communication has improved a lot and an effective Control Room should be set up having monitors posted at the parking lots and at all the bus stops. (2) There should be a parking lot exclusively for the buses at the starting and end point of a bus route. If required the starting and end point of the routes may be extended or shortened as required to have the parking facility. (3) All entry and exit of buses should be monitored and recorded. (4) The bus stop should be curved out from the road and if required land may be acquired with due compensation to owners. (5) A bus should be allowed to leave the parking lot or the first stop on receipt of confirmation from the second stop that the earlier bus had left the stop. (6) There should be strict order and enforcement of not dropping off and picking up anywhere excepting the designated bus stops. If the existing bus stops are located near the turns and traffic lights, they should be moved at least 300 500 meters from those points. Parallel parking of buses to drop off and pick up of passengers must be stopped. (7) The city has quite a few residential areas with many roads to and out from the main roads and this is also another factor creating traffic jams at the entries and exits to and from the main roads. Can the authorities not consider closing access to the main road with maybe 3 or 4 points open? That's what is done in any residential area in other countries. I am sure our policy makers are visiting other countries if not every alternate day but for sure once a month and have practical knowledge. If the traffic is stagnant can we not imagine how much fuel we are un-necessarily burning with resultant environmental pollution? We are poor and can we afford this luxury? Hope the suggestions will be considered by the learned policymakers.
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