App-based services to be brought under control: DMP chief

Vehicles plying under app-based ridesharing services are contributing to the traffic chaos in the capital, and the government is working to bring them under discipline, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia yesterday.

“We want to bring the total traffic system of the capital under discipline,” the DMP chief said in his welcome speech at the inauguration of the fortnight-long traffic discipline campaign at the capital's Zero Point.

“We have noticed that the app-based services Uber and Pathao have brought out thousands of vehicles on the street. The home minister and road transport and bridges minister are thinking of bringing those vehicles under control.”

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan inaugurated the programme. “We want to make people aware that life is more valuable than time. Safety is more important than going ahead of others,” he said while speaking there.

However, minutes after the inauguration, his car, along with those of some police high-ups, drove on the wrong side of the road.

As the minister walked to the Zero Point road island to distribute leaflets and put up stickers containing awareness messages, his vehicle followed him for a short distance on the opposite side of the road.

People all over the country will realise that if they follow traffic rules, their sufferings on roads will be reduced, he said, adding “We will try to give leaflets and booklets to people to raise awareness of their responsibility in following traffic rules.”

“We will also try to make people aware about the necessity of using over-bridge and underpass. Everyone should use footpaths while walking and drivers and pedestrians must not use mobile phones while driving [or walking],” the minister added.

The DMP Commissioner said they have taken elaborate measures to bring back discipline on roads, after the nationwide students' agitation demanding safe roads last year following death of two students in road accident.

As a result of the tremendous efforts of around 4,500 officials of DMP, a major change have come in road discipline; problems like driving on the wrong side of roads and motorbike riders without helmets have almost come to an end, he said.

A number of foot-over bridges and underpasses in the city were not suitable for use earlier, but now police have made those useable and city dwellers are using those more, he said, adding that they have also marked 130 bus stoppages and steps have been taken by the city corporation to make those effective.

Volunteers from Red Crescent, Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) and scouts will work with traffic police at 57 check posts in Dhaka to help people follow the traffic rules during the campaign, he said.

Once the programme ends, police will conduct a drive to free the city footpaths, said the DMP chief.

Due to various development works like Mass Rapid Transit, flyover and U-loop, city roads have become narrow, but police officials trying to bring traffic jam to tolerable levels for city dwellers, he said.

“We hope that we would able to meet the people's expectations after these construction works end.”

Mir Rezaul Alam, additional commissioner (traffic) of DMP, conducted the inaugural programme.

On July 29 last year, students took to the streets after the deaths of two students of Shaheed Ramiz Uddin Cantonment College on Airport Road. They were seen managing traffic on major roads of the city for nine days. Police later welcomed the movement, and initiated traffic awareness programmes.

Since then, the DMP traffic department had conducted traffic discipline drives in three phases last year. The first drive was conducted from August 5 to 14, followed by the second one from September 5 to 30, while the third drive was conducted between October 24 and 31.