Rickshaws use wrong way, create jam
Traffic jam occurs due to illegal diversion of rickshaws near Wireless Gate on Shaheed Selina Parvin Road in the city. Photo: Amran Hossain
Hundreds of rickshaws are 'forced' to go wrong way on the Shaheed Selina Parvin Road near Moghbazar intersection in the city every day, causing traffic jam in the area. Since a part of the thoroughfare leading up to Moghbazar intersection was announced rickshaw-free in November, the light vehicles heading towards the roundabout are now directed to take the opposite side of the road and paddle along the wrong way towards the joint. Uniformed traffic and Ansar enforcers are seen standing beside a 'No Rickshaws' sign near Agora supermarket. The baton-wielding officials whistle the queues of rickshaws and other non-motorised vehicles to cross a nearby median opening and take the wrong side of the street that leads to Mouchak market. Not only do the invading rickshaws obstruct the fast-moving traffic on the other side, there have also been many occasions where a rickshaw evaded a serious accident by a hair's breadth, locals said. Observers pointed out that incidents of accident scares on the street have reached an alarming level -- an opinion justified by a spate of minor accidents here lately. A middle-aged man suffered a knee injury when a minibus bumped into the rear wheel of his rickshaw in December. The mini bus driver was a split second late to slam on the brakes while the rickshaw tried to zip across the street. About a week later, a 22-year-old suffered a bad ankle sprain when his rickshaw got stuck between two other rickshaws. The two rickshaws were racing each other to an opening where a third incoming rickshaw came out of nowhere. The impact made the passenger land a few feet away from the rickshaw. Both these incidents have some indicators that most people should take note of. They took place in the street stretching from Agora supermarket towards the Moghbazar intersection and in both cases the rickshaw was going the wrong way. Invariably, the rickshaws were on the side of street where they did not belong. The fact that bus drivers fancy the thoroughfare as an ultimate racing ground to drive as recklessly as possible makes the situation even worse. Past the Moghbazar intersection, they all pick up speed and suddenly find strings of rickshaws zipping across the street. “I do not get the point of this,” said Kabir, a pedestrian, “rickshaws are allowed in the whole thoroughfare starting from Bangla Motor to Mouchak market and beyond. So, why should this small stretch of the street be made different?” “If the street is VIP, why would it apply to only one side of the street and not the other? They would not allow any rickshaws on the lane going towards Moghbazar but rickshaws coming from the other way around is okay?” he said, putting a question. Traffic sources said rickshaws were disallowed from the street to avoid traffic gridlocks at Moghbazar intersection. “It's because of the rickshaws, a gridlock starts to build up at the signal of Moghbazar intersection. Rickshaws were disallowed to ease the flow of traffic at the intersection and make the long wait at the signal less,” said Traffic Inspector Uttam. However, observers said most rickshaws tend to go back to the original lane through the next median opening. And the traffic officers at the intersection do not seem bothered with the number of rickshaws at the signal either. A traffic sergeant at the roundabout told this correspondent that rickshaws heading towards the intersection from Mouchak market are supposed to take a detour through Ramna to go to Bangla Motor. “But a lot of rickshaws keep coming through to this street. So, we make them take the wrong way,” he said. “It has not been that long since the rickshaws were disallowed from this street. That's why, many rickshaws still take this route. As time would go by things would get normal,” he said.
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