The question is incompetent the government can be in every sector. Driving cars in capital is a punishment. Walking will be faster than using a car. Each government VIP car needs two police patrol car to escort. They are very privileged people.
Residents of Dhaka city were surprised and frustrated on Tuesday with the unusually heavy traffic jams on the streets, with thousands of people remaining stuck for hours during their commute. Passengers are irritated with the situation as a Tongi-bound BRTC bus starts from Kamalapur at 7:30 in the morning. After almost two-and-a-half hours, the bus was at a standstill at the Bijoy Sarani traffic signal. It usually takes one and a half hours to reach Tongi.
Though nothing new, traffic is indeed a pain and commuters as well as visitors are dreaded with fear to commute. Truly, every day the situation seems to be aggravating further fuelling irritations and frustrations. The saga of frustration keeps rolling, miles after miles, and days after days. With the reopening of the educational institutions at the end of February, the traffic jam has returned in full force. Especially after the opening of the primary school this month, the traffic jam has taken a terrible turn. In fact, except for holidays, the city dwellers suffer from extreme misery almost round the clock.
What is the way out? The steps taken by the government so far to reduce traffic congestion in Dhaka city are isolated and scattered. It was once said that the construction of flyovers in some parts of the city would reduce traffic congestion. But even after the construction of flyovers, the traffic congestion did not decrease. After that it was said that once Metro Rail is launched, there will be no traffic jams in Dhaka city. The construction of Metro Rail is underway. Will Metro Rail reduce traffic congestion in the whole city? What will be the arrangements for transit passengers at each station to reach their destination?
According to a survey, private vehicles use about 50 per cent of the roads in Dhaka city, while they carry only 12 per cent of passengers. On the other hand, it is possible to transport about 88 per cent passengers in 50 per cent big buses. It is necessary to introduce high quality integrated transport as an alternative to private vehicles. Long-distance bus terminals inside the city should also be shifted out of the city as soon as possible.
We want to mention that in every modern and developed city, public transport is the main means of transportation. But it is quite the opposite in Dhaka city. Most of the passengers travel here in rickshaws, auto-rickshaws and private vehicles. In order to overcome this situation, integrated public transport should be introduced on all roads immediately.
