Steps taken not to follow through

Traffic situation on Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue remains the same because of government failure to take effective measures to ease congestion in the capital. The photo was taken around 12:30pm yesterday.Photo: SK Enamul Haq

At least 10 steps taken by the government in the last two and a half years to improve the capital's traffic situation and road safety had fizzled out within a few days.
The measures came to nothing because they were ill-conceived in the first place. The slackness of the implementing agencies too did not help things either, experts observe.
The same people who follow traffic rules in Dhaka cantonment area do the opposite elsewhere in the city. It is because the cantonment authorities strictly enforce the rules while traffic police take little action against the lawbreakers for fear of backlash from influential people or for bribe, point out the experts.
The steps taken to ease traffic gridlock included introducing a three-lane system on the main thoroughfares; managing traffic following electronic signals; taking off the roads buses and minibuses aged over 15 years; enforcing mandatory use of seatbelt and helmet; barring people from using mobile phone while driving; and forcing the pedestrians to take footpath, footbridge and underpass.
In September last year, Dhaka Metropolitan Police launched a drive to enforce the three-lane system. But the move proved counterproductive, as the existing road structure and varying modes of vehicles were not given due consideration.
The three-lane system could not give commuters any relief as the plan was flawed. In fact, it made matters worse, said Shamsul Haque, the immediate past director of Accident Research Institute at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.
He noted that most of the vehicles approaching intersections change lanes at will and add to congestion.
"If the lanes had been fixed considering the directions, and not the mode of vehicles, it would have helped ease movement at intersections," he added.
In November last year, the authorities moved to control traffic following electric signals. That too proved futile, and created even longer tailbacks. In a few days, the authorities reverted to the manual system.
Former DMP traffic chief Shafiqur Rahman, who took the initiative, told The Daily Star recently that the move failed as signal lights often remain out of order and synchronisation does not work.
The same month, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) started a drive to enforce use of seatbelt and helmet by car drivers and motorcyclists, and to stop them talking on the mobile phone while driving. It also aimed to ensure people use footpath, footbridge and underpass.
The nationwide drive conducted in coordination with police, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and district administration, ran out of steam in a few days, and drivers and pedestrians got back to their usual self--driving and moving recklessly.
There is more.
DMP's drive in September 2008 against buses and minibuses in use for more than 15 years is another example of failure.
Dhaka Metropolitan Transport Committee took the decision without ensuring enough new buses to replace the outdated ones.
The drive lasted two days. DMP said it halted the drive, as the owners had stopped running the buses instead of replacing them. It had created an acute shortage of transport causing sufferings to the commuters.
DMP Joint Commissioner (traffic) Mahbubur Rahman said they try their best to implement the initiatives. However, sometimes they cannot enforce the rules, as they have to get busy trying to ease traffic jam.
Asked about run-down buses still plying the roads, he said that together with BRTA they will soon re-launch the drive against unfit vehicles.
According to BRTA sources, over 5,500 buses and minibuses run on the city streets with route permits. At least 20 percent of them are older than 15 years.
Recently, the government has undertaken some new projects to give the city dwellers some respite from tailbacks. The projects include construction of an elevated expressway, a metro rail system, and several flyovers, underpasses and overpasses.
Results, however, are not expected anytime soon, as most of the projects are in the planning or initial stage.