Reza Mahmud :
When push button traffic system is found ineffective for road safety, the Dhaka North City Corporation is setting more of such signals in its jurisdiction raising questions among the people.
DNCC first introduced the digital push button traffic signal to cross streets safely in front of two educational institutes in the city after students’ movement on road safety in 2018.
The series of protests took place in Dhaka as well other cities of advocating improved road safety from 29 July to 8 August on the year.
They started protesting after the deaths of two high-school students in Dhaka struck by a bus.
DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam inaugurated push buttons in front of Green Herald International school in Asad Avenue and in front of Brac university at Banani in October last year.
Firstly, the push button gained popularity among the people but within a month the system became dysfunctional. As a result, the pedestrians used to cross the road showing hand signals.
Mayor Atiqul Islam said during the inaugurations of the push button system if those are proved as effective, then more 20 signals would be established across the DNCC areas.
But the DNCC has started establishing more push buttons from October 1 when the system found dysfunctional.
It creates questions about their honesty on resuming road safety.
Sources said, DNCC planned to establish 20 push button signals in its jurisdictions with its own funding of Taka three crore.
DNCC’s traffic engineering department has started
the project by establishing a push button signal in front of Mirpur Commerce College on October 1.
Witnesses said two weeks after eshtablishing the signal, the pedestrians are crossing the street raising their hand to stop the approaching vehicles. On the spot the previous two push button signals found dysfunctional.
“First few days after establishing the signal, students of the school used it. But it has been found dysfunctional within one month,” Md. Mahbub Hossain, security staff of Green herald school, said.
He said that when it was functional, about 90 percents of pedestrians ignored it while only 10 percents used it properly while crossing the road. Experts said, using of push button signal is really safe if it is functional.
After pushing the button, it starts to countdown time. Within certain time the button shows green signal for pedestrians to cross the road while the traffic lights shows red light for drivers to stop their vehicles. Besides, alarm will be ranged for 28 seconds with those light signals.
Experts said, the city corporation has to create huge public awareness of using the signal. But it has no such public awareness programme regarding it.
Besides, the equipment has to maintain properly but the previous two were not taken care adequately.
They also asked the authority to ensure quality of the set of the signal equipment before establishing in the road.
They asked the authority to investigate that why the first two push button signal became dysfunctional within one month.
They think the equipment may be of low quality or it has not been maintained properly.
Saiful Islam, Associate Engineer of the project, said that they have to establish 10 push button signals this year and rest 10 in next year. When asked why they are establishing more after getting the previous two dysfunctional?
The engineer said he cannot answer it and requested to ask it to the higher authority. When contacted Mayor Atiqul Islam said, “I am in hospital with coronavirus infection. So, I cannot say anything about the matter right now.”
When push button traffic system is found ineffective for road safety, the Dhaka North City Corporation is setting more of such signals in its jurisdiction raising questions among the people.
DNCC first introduced the digital push button traffic signal to cross streets safely in front of two educational institutes in the city after students’ movement on road safety in 2018.
The series of protests took place in Dhaka as well other cities of advocating improved road safety from 29 July to 8 August on the year.
They started protesting after the deaths of two high-school students in Dhaka struck by a bus.
DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam inaugurated push buttons in front of Green Herald International school in Asad Avenue and in front of Brac university at Banani in October last year.
Firstly, the push button gained popularity among the people but within a month the system became dysfunctional. As a result, the pedestrians used to cross the road showing hand signals.
Mayor Atiqul Islam said during the inaugurations of the push button system if those are proved as effective, then more 20 signals would be established across the DNCC areas.
But the DNCC has started establishing more push buttons from October 1 when the system found dysfunctional.
It creates questions about their honesty on resuming road safety.
Sources said, DNCC planned to establish 20 push button signals in its jurisdictions with its own funding of Taka three crore.
DNCC’s traffic engineering department has started
the project by establishing a push button signal in front of Mirpur Commerce College on October 1.
Witnesses said two weeks after eshtablishing the signal, the pedestrians are crossing the street raising their hand to stop the approaching vehicles. On the spot the previous two push button signals found dysfunctional.
“First few days after establishing the signal, students of the school used it. But it has been found dysfunctional within one month,” Md. Mahbub Hossain, security staff of Green herald school, said.
He said that when it was functional, about 90 percents of pedestrians ignored it while only 10 percents used it properly while crossing the road. Experts said, using of push button signal is really safe if it is functional.
After pushing the button, it starts to countdown time. Within certain time the button shows green signal for pedestrians to cross the road while the traffic lights shows red light for drivers to stop their vehicles. Besides, alarm will be ranged for 28 seconds with those light signals.
Experts said, the city corporation has to create huge public awareness of using the signal. But it has no such public awareness programme regarding it.
Besides, the equipment has to maintain properly but the previous two were not taken care adequately.
They also asked the authority to ensure quality of the set of the signal equipment before establishing in the road.
They asked the authority to investigate that why the first two push button signal became dysfunctional within one month.
They think the equipment may be of low quality or it has not been maintained properly.
Saiful Islam, Associate Engineer of the project, said that they have to establish 10 push button signals this year and rest 10 in next year. When asked why they are establishing more after getting the previous two dysfunctional?
The engineer said he cannot answer it and requested to ask it to the higher authority. When contacted Mayor Atiqul Islam said, “I am in hospital with coronavirus infection. So, I cannot say anything about the matter right now.”
