Crazy traffic
I know lots of letters and articles were printed in your newspaper regarding the topic but every day it seems that the Dhaka traffic situation is going from bad to worse. The DMP has failed to keep the traffic under control, especially during the month of Ramadan. The outcome was Saturday's (13.09.08) gridlock all over the city resulting in a baby's birth inside a vehicle.
I was stuck just after crossing the JS Bhaban around 02:15pm for over two hours on my way to Motijheel. However, I could not go to my destination and decided to turn around and come back to Dhanmondi using the Bijoy Sarani. The situation at Bijoy Sarani was slightly better and it took only one hour and 25 minutes to reach the Mirpur Road near Arong crossing.
I saw the traffic police standing helplessly at every point of my route as buses and minibuses were taking the wrong side of the road , which created the congestion at all the crossings.
The coming days will be even worse as the caretaker government has allowed import of six years old cars without considering the present road situation. In the next five years, Dhaka will be a standstill city as far as the traffic is concerned. The six years old cars will also not help the city pollution as most of the vehicles on the roads will be back to petrol/octane as the city CNG filling stations will be inadequate to supply further gas to additional vehicles.
The present government, the city corporation & Rajuk has to immediately make new roads, repair the thoroughfares and make the Sadarghat/ Gabtoli, Gabtoli/ Ashulia/ Airport Road near Tongi usable, wider and convert some of the main roads into one way affair, otherwise the next government will have to spend all the time in combating the traffic situation of the city.
The eastern berri bandh also needs to be built on a top priority basis so that the eastern part of the city is saved from the floods and commuters can use it as road. Along with the circular embankment, a two way broad-gauge railway track (though it is expensive it will be affective) can be installed so that a huge number of people can travel faster and cheaper around the city by train to reach the city destinations on time and with much comfort.
This doesn't mean the end of the Mega Transport Plan taken by the government, this will only help it.
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