Traffic Alert: An information hub improving lives
"A bus has caught fire at Mohakhali, try to avoid this area," Nayem Mahmud wrote in a Facebook group. He also attached a video clip of the incident along with the post.
Other users confirmed the incident in the comments section.
In another post, Nishat Yeasmin asked, "I have to go to Barishal for emergency purposes, is there any bus running from Mirpur 12?" A dozen users responded to her question, providing her with information and suggestions.
These are just two examples of the countless ways in which Dhaka commuters have benefitted from the Facebook group "Traffic Alert".
This group has become a valuable resource for anyone who lives or works in Dhaka. It provides real-time updates on traffic conditions, road closures, and other disruptions that can affect your commute.
The group was founded in 2014 by Safat Nabil, then a student. Nabil was frustrated by the amount of time he spent sitting in traffic, and he wanted to find a way to help people save time by avoiding congestion.
"Sitting in traffic for hours was frustrating, but using a different route could save time. At the time, Facebook seemed like the perfect medium to alert people, and that's how Traffic Alert began," Nabil told The Daily Star.
"My idea was to help people find faster routes and avoid traffic jams by exploring alternative ways to their destinations," he added.
Now the group has grown to over 2,40,000 members, and it is moderated by a team of six admins who work to ensure that the information shared in the group is accurate and up-to-date.
They also work to keep the group free of spam, misinformation, and political content.
When asked about how they manage such a big community under the constant threat of misinformation, he said, "We don't approve everything that users post. We carefully evaluate every post, comment, and complaint, and they all undergo thorough monitoring and screening."
Talking about political unrest in the capital, he said, many users post political content with a specific agenda, but such posts are strictly not allowed in the group.
But when it comes to the dissemination of information and creating awareness about citizen issues, the group serves an invaluable purpose.
Talking to this correspondent, Sayem Ahmed, a group member since 2018, said, "Beyond traffic-related issues, the group serves as a central hub for breaking news and first-hand information of any event within the city. Sometimes, it outperforms many news media in terms of breaking news."
"It has truly become a platform for ordinary citizens like me, where we can easily discuss and raise questions about many of our civic rights," said another group member, Faruk Ahmed.
"I vividly recall how this platform engaged thousands of citizens during the road safety movement in 2018," he added.