No respite in traffic jams

The government has taken a series of measures, including closure of schools and colleges during Ramadan and withdrawal of rundown vehicles, but could not bring about any improvement in the city’s traffic situation.
The communications ministry has dumped only one old car a day on an average since the drive began on 15 July, 2010 although it identified about 15,000 dilapidated and 80,000 unfit vehicles plying the capital’s roads without valid documents.
Communications minister Abul Hossain last week in a review meeting disclosed that 26 rundown cars were seized between 15 July, 2010 and 26 August, 2010, which revealed the weakness of the drive, or rather its aimlessness, and the power of the transport owners.
People are still suffering as hundreds of vehicles are seen caught in tailbacks near most of the important intersections like Jatrabari, Syedabad, Gulistan, Paltan, Shahbagh, Bangla Motor, Farm Gate, Mouchak, Malibagh, Banani and Gulshan.
Experts blamed the unbridled growth in the number of vehicles, especially private cars, illegal parking and lack of discipline in the city’s traffic management authorities for the growing traffic menace.
‘Outdoor life has become miserable because of traffic congestion while indoor life has been made wretched by random and prolonged power outages,’ said Adnan Faruque, a businessman of the Old Town.
The government has been taking a series of measures in the last one year to reduce the traffic congestion, but has been far from successful.
Fixing different timing for non-government offices and educational institutes and corporate offices was the first experiment that the government began one year ago. The move was followed by attempted enforcement of the ‘lane system’ by the city’s traffic authority.
Finance minister AMA Muhith in a meeting with MCCI, the country’s oldest chamber body, last week pointed out that keeping appointments on time was very difficult because of congestion.
Despite the well-meaning measures the situation has deteriorated, said Sohel Rahman, a service holder, adding that nowadays congestion is seen in many places of the city even late at night.
Last month the communications ministry imposed the much-talked-about restriction on the movement of trucks before midnight in the city, but within a week it had to lift the restriction because of pressure by the owners.
Former communications secretary Mahbubur Rahman told New Age that the government was forced to compromise with the transport associations as they are very powerful.

Courtesy of NewAge