First clear the sidewalks

IN the 'Letters to the Editor' section of The Daily Star, one of the writers mentioned that the Chittagong Metropolitan Police has evicted all the makeshift shops from the sidewalks in the Chittagong EPZ area. The eviction has reduced the traffic congestion in the EPZ area because pedestrians are now able to walk safely and comfortably on the sidewalk instead of the road without jeopardising their safety and without disrupting traffic flow.

Although about 20% of the people in Dhaka commute by walking, the city severely lacks walking-friendly environment, an important aspect that determines the quality of life in a city. A report by The Daily Star says that most of the sidewalks are occupied by illegal makeshift shops, illegal extension of shops adjacent to the sidewalk, construction materials and equipments, slums, garbage and illegal parking. In many areas the sidewalks are also in poor condition.

Many road crossing facilities, such as footbridges, are occupied by hawkers. Some of the footbridges have even been closed because of their poor state as a result of lack of regular maintenance. Mugging is common on the footbridges and in underpasses.

Due to illegal obstruction, poor state of the sidewalks and mugging incidents in the road crossing facilities, pedestrians are sometimes forced to jaywalk. Jaywalking is one reason why pedestrian to vehicle collision rate is quite high; and it is also a reason for the city's horrendous traffic congestion.

It is appreciated that the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has decided to crack down on jaywalkers by fining or imprisoning them, but to make the drive fruitful it is essential that the DMP first clears the sidewalks and road crossing facilities to improve the walkability of the city.

Similar to Chittagong, the DMP should first evict all the makeshift shops and slums from the sidewalks, footbridges and underpasses in the city. To ensure that after the eviction these shops and slums do not return, the city authority may allocate space for them to relocate.

DMP should also consider fining contractors and shop owners who occupy public space with construction materials and equipments and illegal extension of their shops. In addition, vehicles illegally parked on the sidewalks should be ticketed regularly.

The city authority should relocate dumpsters from sidewalks to places not in public sight and, most importantly, regularly clean and maintain the sidewalks and the road crossing facilities. This may help to reduce traffic congestion and enhance the safety of pedestrians.

The writer is a Transportation Engineer working in Thailand.