Dhaka's road traffic system appears to be crumbling since last month's mass uprisings. First, the traffic police suddenly stopped from functioning for a week. Second, after resuming duties, city traffic police is now markedly in the grips of all-out inertia. Third, in a striking resemblance to our police force, traffic policemen are also showing signs of depression and dejection.
However, due to this upsetting scenario, Dhaka roads and streets are facing pro-longed traffic congestion every now and then. Those who suffer in Dhaka roads because of poor traffic management are almost regularly lodging formal and informal complaints that our lethargic traffic police members themselves are often becoming responsible for creating traffic mess.
Undeniably, manual traffic management has its limitations as traffic policemen cannot monitor much of the tailbacks. Ideally road traffic should be controlled by traffic lights. This persisting problem should be duly addressed through installing CC cameras for monitoring traffic performance. That said - most important right now is to fast repair and re-activate the city's nearly dead automated traffic signal mechanism.
Over the last 17 years, the previous government had spent some 120 crore Taka aiming to upgrade Dhaka's traffic signal system. Back then the plan involved a set of ambitious experiments to modernise the capital's traffic control system, including digitising signal lights, installing timer countdown and digital display boards in some major intersections. Apart from the city's 2-3 upmarket areas, the so-called modernising plan manifestly failed to live up to its purposes.
At the same time, it is only true that Traffic Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) continues to carry out duties amid several limitations and challenges.
Traffic officials concern have often voiced of numerous challenges, including low capacity roads, encroached footpaths, uncontrolled rickshaw movement, poor and reckless driving, insufficient bus stops, picking up and dropping off passengers by violating traffic rules. And that's not all - dearth of traffic technical units and faulty traffic signals are also adding up to the prevalent traffic management crisis.
All together an organised chaos has overwhelmed our road traffic management system.
However, our expectation from the interim government is to initially motivate and re-energise the traffic police force, so that it can emerge as a pro-people force with a strong commitment. Then we call on our policy makers concern to formulate and implement necessary plans and strategies.
We must not allow this all-pervading pandemonium ruling over our roads. Our lives and valuable time matter. Drivers, passengers and pedestrians continuing to suffer because of easy avoidable dilemma matter. It is time to promptly address Dhaka's everlasting traffic dilemma before the crisis deepens.
