Efforts fail to ease traffic jam: Overnight relief not possible, say authorities

At least 8 lakh motorized vehicles and 5-lakh- pedal-rickshaws ply in the city everyday ahead of the Eid and causing traffic situation deteriorated in the capital.
The government’s efforts to ease nagging traffic congestion has failed due to shortage of equipment and lack of coordination among the agencies.
Witnesses said every intersection in the city frontal areas of the shopping malls experiences serious gatherings ahead of Eid shopping. Traffic-jam causes untold sufferings to the people going to offices and various destinations including Eid shopping. In front of the Shopping malls New Market, Mouchak, Gulshan, Panthopath Bosundhara, shopping complex traffic situation are always worse.
The worst traffic-vulnerable points include, among others, Jatrabari, Hatkhola, Shapla Chattar, Gulistan, Paltan, New Market, Science Laboratory area, Shahbag, Bangla Motor, Sonargaon-crossing, Panthopath, Farmgate, Manik Mian Avenue, Asadgate, Shyamoli, Kalyanpur, Gabtoli, Mirpur-Goolchakkar, Mohakhali, Khilgaon, Banani, Mouchak, Kakrail and Malibagh. Now-a-days residential areas are also experiencing heavy traffic-jam. The areas include Dhanmondi, Banani, Gulshan and other prime residential locations.
A large number of cars park illegally on the roadside, which is one of the main causes for traffic congestion in the city.
Joint Commissioner of traffic Manzur Kader Khan told the New Nation that parking on the road causes serious traffic congestion in different areas of the city.
Induction of too many motorcars in the city everyday adds fuel to the flame of traffic congestion.
It is estimated that about 100 used or new motorised vehicles are entering into the Dhaka roads every day covering about 6 percent of the city area. At present, more than 4, 50,000 motor vehicles ply in Dhaka city alone.
They jostle for space on the narrow roads with another half- million pedal-rickshaws turning the traffic system in the metropolis in a shambles.
BRTA sources said a record 14,944 new and reconditioned cars were sold in Dhaka last year, up 46 percent from 2007.
Authorities said car sales averaged 5,000 to 6,000 annually for more than a decade until 2006. Private banks’ consumer financing programmes is financing some 90 percent of the cars we sell, said car dealers.
“It is difficult to ensure coordination among all the agencies involved,” said Additional Communications Secretary Shafique Alam Mehdi, who heads the 12-member committee formed to coordinate the activities of the mobile courts and other agencies working towards reducing traffic jam.
“It is not possible to rid the capital of traffic jam overnight. We are trying our best and the situation is improving,” he added.
As part of the recent move of the government, Dhaka district authorities have been conducting drives against the elements responsible for traffic jam by setting up 13 mobile courts at different parts of the city while the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) are conducting special drives since the first week of the Ramzan.

Courtesy of The New Nation