Effective steps needed to reduce traffic jam

The problem that Dhaka residents suffer most is traffic jam. The problem is getting worse as the day advances. There was a time when commuters suffered traffic congestion only on the main city streets, but now it starts right from one's doorstep. Traffic jam has turned daily trips into nightmares. Dhaka residents go through immense physical stress and incur monetary losses in terms of man-hours due to the large amount of time spent on the road on working days. This megacity of around two crore people is incurring a huge amount of monetary losses every day due to traffic congestion.

In a recent roundtable organized by Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), experts say traffic congestion in Dhaka eats up around 5 million working hours every day and it causes a loss of Tk 37,000 crore every year.

Dhaka residents are to remain trapped on the streets for hours to reach their destination due to traffic jam. It often takes five to six hours to travel one-hour distance. The monetary loss and loss of working hours traffic jam causes are irreparable. According to Research Institute of BUET, sixty percent of Tk 37,000 crore can be saved if the traffic jam is reduced.

Various types of buses including other vehicles are in service in the city roads but the city roads lack adequate space for those vehicles. The number of vehicles plying in the capital every day is 5.27 lakh. The number of vehicles has increased to 2.24 lakh in last six years. According to the information of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), the number of buses and mini buses who have taken route permit is 5,103.

Another reason behind traffic jam in Dhaka is scanty number of roads. A city improved well enough needs 25 percent of roads of good condition which is 7.8 percent in Bangladesh. The capital has no adequate parking space. Again, many of public transport drivers have no legal driving license. The operation of unfit vehicles often causes traffic congestion alongside road accidents.

It is necessary to bring back an order in public transport with an aim to ease traffic congestion and road accidents in the capital. To bring an order in the public transport, the BUET roundtable placed a recommendation that competition among buses will come down if a specific bus company is allowed to use a route fixed for it. At the same time, it will bring an order in the operation of vehicles.

Before anything else, good will is needed to reduce traffic jam. A loss of around 5 million working hours every day is really a major barrier to the progress of a nation. Trades and businesses have expanded in the country. The area and population of the capital have increased. But there is no alternative way to movement. So, public transport system should be rearranged in order to ease traffic congestion. Public transport system in Dhaka should be further strengthened and effective.

An immediate and effective step should be taken to get rid of long term traffic jam problem. Footpaths of illegal occupations should be freed. Traffic system should be made more mobile and effective. The public transport sector should be run directly by the government and it should give subsidies for the development of the sector. The government should give more emphasis on the bus services as a lot of city dwellers are seen to use buses to reach their destination.


risingbd/Dhaka/May 23, 2018/Ali Nowsher/AI