Pedestrians' rights

What a refreshing article by Zarina Hossain in the DS of 07 July. She is the first one to take up cudgels for the long neglected pedestrian, who daily risks his/her life on the narrow, pot-holed and crowded streets of Dhaka.
Her analysis for a 'transport prioritising policy' is impeccable and should be seriously studied by the relevant authorities and implemented as soon as possible. Accessible and well-maintained footpaths will lead to the healthy habit of walking to one's destination especially by those who are forced to go by car due to lack of footpaths. The heavy traffic on the walkways (alas, too few!!!) alongside the lakes will be a revelation to sceptics.
Cheap mass transport for the masses is still a dream. The current decrepit buses (how do they get their fitness certificates?) can only be used by those who are physically in the All-In Wrestling class. Ms Zarina seems to be an anti-CNG devotee, but where is the time for 'long-term benefits against short-term prescriptions'. They are quite indispensable still for the be-car and the be-bus having to travel fast for longer distances at a reasonable cost.
Her comments on private cars and her recommendations to curb this menace are commendable. I have already written 40 letters on the subject in the last two years. How can the present state of Dhaka's roads (only 7-8% of area instead of minimum 25%) cope with the 3.5-4 lakh stretched out, gas guzzling monstrosities that infest the environment. They occupy 75-80% of the road space while transporting less than 2% of the privileged class at astronomical cost. But Ms Zarina, this is Bangladesh and our ministers, MPs (who are elected to serve the people!), bureaucrats, businessmen etc are all lining up for free perks including cars, when most of them are undoubtedly millionaires with their own fleets of cars in their garages. Who will bell these FAT-CATS?
If there is a serious flaw in the article, it is, that the word rickshaw, has not even been mentioned. 3-4 lakh of these ply Dhaka's lanes and streets providing quick, efficient and cheap transport to millions of the old, infirm, women, children, people with small loads, the disabled and others too many to mention. They provide employment to the poor, income and livelihood to about 2-2.5 million rickshaw-related people apart from adding more than 10 crore taka to the GDP every day. One cannot even dream of doing away with them until a viable alternative is found and that may take decades.