Dhaka's traffic system
The good news is that the government has decided to introduce a modern traffic control room in the capital. To reduce traffic jams, the timetables of schools' morning classes will be adjusted to accommodate the extra pressure on the roads. The education ministry would fix a schedule and send letters to the schools. The ministry will also monitor whether the decisions are being followed. This certainly looks like a good decision and shows that the government is trying its best to bring the Dhaka traffic to a tolerable level. However, this will probably ease the life in Dhaka for a very short time. It is about time that the government should think and construct new roads. From different seminars and experts' comments, we understand that a modern city needs 27% of roads, as against the 7% we have in Dhaka. Even if 3 layers of flyovers are made, the required 27% will not be achieved to ease the traffic. These are all long term plans which the government has to implement to control the growing traffic of the city. What we need immediately is to modernise the BRTA. The traffic police, the officers, car owners and the drivers need better training so that they also understand the traffic rules. To train all these, the BRTA, the most corrupt amongst the traffic related offices, has to be modern, free of corruption and full of competent people who can guide the vehicle owners and drivers to manage their vehicles on the roads. Once BRTA starts operating the way it is supposed to, the next task will be constructing new roads, link roads etc. The government has to take steps to stop all new construction works of the city at the eastern and western ends. Without a proper road plan, no residential or commercial building should be erected. The City Corporation and Rajuk are the main institutions from where these ideas should generate. Haphazard parking, garbage bins and slanted pavements (for car parking) must vanish overnight for smooth flow of traffic. During pick hours roads can be converted to one way traffic. The main roads with "T" type crossings (example Bijoy Nagar and Kakrail Intersection) need to convert to "X" type (Gulshan 1 or 2 Intersections) crossings, otherwise the congestions will remain. Until we have planned roads and proper traffic monitoring system in place, the Dhaka traffic situation will never improve.
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