The traffic logjam in Dhaka
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's unhappiness at the prevailing chaos on the road traffic front is also ours. The way people's movements are increasingly getting difficult, indeed circumscribed because of the congestion on the roads all across the nation's capital is as irritating as it is mind-boggling. In the past one year, we have heard of a number of plans being put in place to bring order back in the traffic system. So far none of those plans have worked. And now we hear of new steps, especially related to business establishment closures on particular days of the week, being taken.
A harried citizenry expects that the new plan will ease its worries. But, in light of the clear disappointment the prime minister voiced at a meeting of the cabinet the other day, we feel that serious measures must now be taken to put an end to the traffic mess. The communication minister's argument of increasingly higher numbers of vehicles hitting the roads compounding the mess is no excuse. As the prime minister pointed out, how is it that old, dilapidated vehicles ordered out of the roads are back and doing business as usual? There are then the plans for new flyovers. One wonders if the plans are being moved into implementation mode or, as the head of government herself notes, have only been an exercise in rhetoric.
It is obvious that unless the road traffic issue is handled with the seriousness it deserves, Dhaka will soon be rendered immobile as a city. Educational institutions, business establishments, government offices, in fact everything pays a price in terms of loss of time, patience and energy. So the absolute necessity now is devising plans on a short term, medium term and long term basis to free citizens of the traffic logjam. In the prevailing circumstances, the authorities should begin working on the short term approach, for that can pave the path for a longer term handling of the problem. This can be done in quite a few ways. The first step should be a proper, meaningful removal of old vehicles from the streets. This can come about through making sure that no corruption is involved and that traffic personnel do not prove vulnerable to illegal gratification. The next step can easily be a freeing of the innumerable pavements in the city through a determined eviction of make-shift tea stalls, shop items put out on display and the like since these have badly impeded public movement. After that comes the question of compelling shopping malls, hospitals and similar business establishments to have their own parking spaces for vehicles. This should also apply to institutions which have no parking spaces at present. Finally, a determined and constant watch must be kept on buses and other public vehicles to ensure that they use proper stoppages rather than stop anywhere at drivers' whims.
Let these primary steps come in first. Once they do, it will be easier to go for medium and long term plans of traffic control.
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