Traffic jam intensifies

Sagar Biswas :The roads of capital city Dhaka are now experiencing severe traffic jam not only in the busy day-time but also at mid-night causing immense sufferings to city dwellers. Although the Traffic Department of Dhaka Metropolitan Police [DMP] has taken several steps with a view to improving the capital’s traffic situation, those did not work due to poor enforcement of traffic rules and inefficient traffic monitoring activities.Very recently, the DMP went to introduce digital traffic system in the city to reduce traffic jam, but the scheme was postponed whenthe city witnessed intensified jam.When contacted, Joint Commissioner of DMP [Traffic] Mosleh Uddin Ahmed told The New Nation on Monday, “Increasing number of vehicles is the main reason behind the traffic jam. About 70 four-wheeler join city streets every day by getting certification from Bangladesh Road Transport Authority [BRTA]. “We have already informed the matter to BRTA and asked the authorities to take action in this regard,” he said.Experts said, tens of thousands of motorised and manual vehicles now operate on only 250 km long arteries of Dhaka’s 2,200km roads. Whereas the minimum road requirement is 25 per cent of the whole city, Dhaka has only 7.5 per cent road space. As a result, over a million vehicles do not get sufficient space to move, they added.In this regard, the DMP Joint Commissioner said, “At present the collapse of road beside Sundarban Hotel is causing jam in the city which continues till late night. Another reason of jam is Mouchak-Malibagh under-construction flyover, which prolonged the jam in the middle of the city. “Besides, severe jam at Mirpur-10 crossing causes suffering in the entire area,” he added.  A high official of Dhaka South City Corporation said, “Illegal occupation of roads and roadsides by the makeshift shops and hawkers has reduced the road spaces and add to the problem of severe traffic congestion in the city.”He said, “The city corporations [both north and south] with the help of DMP have stated an eviction drive to clear the occupied roads. We hope, it will give a positive result. Illegal occupation of roads and roadsides reduces road spaces, and add to the problem of severe traffic congestion.” ‘Thirty per cent road is illegally occupied by the hawkers, salesmen and shopkeepers. A significant portion is occupied by construction materials and waste-containers. Moreover, haphazard parking drastically reduces the road space and restricts the movement of vehicles, the city corporation official added.