Traffic in Dhaka
My friends abroad hear me complaining about the traffic in Dhaka constantly and they don't get it. Actually, unless one lives in Dhaka or its suburbs, you cannot even begin to imagine the monstrosity and hopelessness of the situation. There's absolutely no solution in sight and most of the people are rendered captives to the issue. I live at Green road and from my balcony every day, I witness a severe gridlock that lasts for hours ! There are a few hospitals in this neighbourhood and sometimes even the ambulances are sitting with their sirens on in this never-ending flow of traffic. If you are a patient in the ambulance or waiting for one - a prayer and a priest might be your only hope.
The level of noise pollution gives me nightmares and who actually needs an alarm clock when you have the car drivers honking incessantly at all hours of the day.
Our politicians talk about traffic congestion, its problems and downfalls but are yet to come up with any logical solution. Logistically speaking, unfortunately there can be none. Our roads are limited, expansion is almost impossible and the number of automobiles on the street are doubling by the month. What do we do?
We have to look to the west. They met with issues and problems as such ! They improvised, re-regulated and reformed their laws to better accommodate their traffic situations. It sounds easy but it's not.
1. Delegate peak hours and off-peak hours i.e. certain heavy duty vehicles cannot be on the smaller streets during peak hours.
2. Set up HOV time and regulations i.e. when kids are being driven to schools in the same neighbourhood - they should be in High Occupancy Vehicles.
3. All buses with 15-year service should be automatically off the streets during peak hours. Better for the environment also.
4. The government should invest heavily in our transit system so that more people are less reluctant to use it.
5. We definitely should hire and train countless more traffic officers.
Think of the next generation.
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