Noman Mosharef :
Trffaic jam day and night- this is the common scene in the city in areas where big super markets and shopping malls are attracting shoppers as the Eid is drawing closer. The situation is further aggravating daily making the city almost immobile.
The city roads are not enough big to allow people and traffic easily move in normal circumstance. Now ahead of the Eid the crisis further aggravated as people are making haphazard and illegal parking on roadsides while vendors opened Eid shopping sales by thousands at a place on the footpaths.
One more reason for this traffic jam is also illegal bus terminals and counters on the roadsides and it has flared up as people are crowding to bus terminals and roadside ticket counters for buying home-going tickets. This is almost a reckless situation in which the law enforcers have hardly any control and on the other hand traffic police are making their income allowing such counters to operate including loading of inter-districts passengers.
Digging city roads for Metro rail and fixing storm water pipelines has also caused a highly devastaing situation with big craters on the road and tunnels being dug to fix connetion for new infrastructure and other utility services.
People are worried about the traffic jam ahead of Ramadan and Eid. Traffic indiscipline is distinctly noticeable at New Market to Gabtali, Fakirapool to Saidabad and almost everywhere in the city.
Moreover, city traffic is not obeying at traffic rules by stopping vehicles for taking passengers and off loading them at any place and often on the middle of the road adding to risk for passengers life and overcrowding roads at critical intersections.
Akter Hossain, a private firm official in Motijheel returns home every day night at eight o’clock after office. It took more than two hours for him to reach home at Mirpur because of heaving traffic jam. From Asad Gate to Mirpur it takes more than one and a half hours now in overcrowded city road.
Not only Akter Hossain, the same situation is dominating every city dwellers at this moment. Most people are laming the city traffic mismanagement for this. Dhaka South and North City Corporation officials say they have no bus operators in the city roads in fact have no valid terminals for stoppage except for three inter-district bus terminals at city entry points.
They only get revenue from Gabtali, Mohakhali and Saidabad terminals. Other terminals and counters within the city are illegal. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association leaders said their buses are operating without valid terminals and agreed that indiscipline on city roads are adding to city traffic congestion.
They said it is the responsibility of the city corporations to develop authorized stoppage and make rules for orderly operating of vehicles.
Bus Terminals in Dhaka city is no longer confines to their designated areas. For example, Gabtali bus terminals are now operating around the area up to Technical point, Darussalaam, Kalyanpur, Shyamoli, College Gate, Asad Gate, Farmgate, Panthapath and Kolabagan and New Market. Hundreds of ticket counters have been opened in those areas.
Similarly the Saidabad terminal is operating from Kolabagan, Fakirapool, Kamalapur, Motijheel, Malibag, Shahjahanpur, Basabo, Khilgaon, Rampura, Badda and such other city spots. The same situation is noticeable with Mohakhali inter-district bus teminals taking over most city spots as their calling points.
Anarchy has taken over the city transport system and as the city population is growing fast and traffic congestion is threatening the city life with bigger risks. Experts said there is no alternative to building the city traffic system under a new order.
Trffaic jam day and night- this is the common scene in the city in areas where big super markets and shopping malls are attracting shoppers as the Eid is drawing closer. The situation is further aggravating daily making the city almost immobile.
The city roads are not enough big to allow people and traffic easily move in normal circumstance. Now ahead of the Eid the crisis further aggravated as people are making haphazard and illegal parking on roadsides while vendors opened Eid shopping sales by thousands at a place on the footpaths.
One more reason for this traffic jam is also illegal bus terminals and counters on the roadsides and it has flared up as people are crowding to bus terminals and roadside ticket counters for buying home-going tickets. This is almost a reckless situation in which the law enforcers have hardly any control and on the other hand traffic police are making their income allowing such counters to operate including loading of inter-districts passengers.
Digging city roads for Metro rail and fixing storm water pipelines has also caused a highly devastaing situation with big craters on the road and tunnels being dug to fix connetion for new infrastructure and other utility services.
People are worried about the traffic jam ahead of Ramadan and Eid. Traffic indiscipline is distinctly noticeable at New Market to Gabtali, Fakirapool to Saidabad and almost everywhere in the city.
Moreover, city traffic is not obeying at traffic rules by stopping vehicles for taking passengers and off loading them at any place and often on the middle of the road adding to risk for passengers life and overcrowding roads at critical intersections.
Akter Hossain, a private firm official in Motijheel returns home every day night at eight o’clock after office. It took more than two hours for him to reach home at Mirpur because of heaving traffic jam. From Asad Gate to Mirpur it takes more than one and a half hours now in overcrowded city road.
Not only Akter Hossain, the same situation is dominating every city dwellers at this moment. Most people are laming the city traffic mismanagement for this. Dhaka South and North City Corporation officials say they have no bus operators in the city roads in fact have no valid terminals for stoppage except for three inter-district bus terminals at city entry points.
They only get revenue from Gabtali, Mohakhali and Saidabad terminals. Other terminals and counters within the city are illegal. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association leaders said their buses are operating without valid terminals and agreed that indiscipline on city roads are adding to city traffic congestion.
They said it is the responsibility of the city corporations to develop authorized stoppage and make rules for orderly operating of vehicles.
Bus Terminals in Dhaka city is no longer confines to their designated areas. For example, Gabtali bus terminals are now operating around the area up to Technical point, Darussalaam, Kalyanpur, Shyamoli, College Gate, Asad Gate, Farmgate, Panthapath and Kolabagan and New Market. Hundreds of ticket counters have been opened in those areas.
Similarly the Saidabad terminal is operating from Kolabagan, Fakirapool, Kamalapur, Motijheel, Malibag, Shahjahanpur, Basabo, Khilgaon, Rampura, Badda and such other city spots. The same situation is noticeable with Mohakhali inter-district bus teminals taking over most city spots as their calling points.
Anarchy has taken over the city transport system and as the city population is growing fast and traffic congestion is threatening the city life with bigger risks. Experts said there is no alternative to building the city traffic system under a new order.
