Buses stopping at will cause traffic anarchy in city [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Buses stopping at will cause traffic anarchy in city

Local June 14, 2015

Drivers continue to stop buses anywhere to pick up or drop off passengers increasing traffic congestions and the risks of accidents on capital’s streets, said experts.
The errant drivers also compel passengers to get in or get down from speeding buses even at busy intersections endangering their life and limbs, they said.
The traffic rules are flouted in the very presence of the police who turn a blind eye possibly due to underhand dealings, said experts.
There is no traffic management on the capital’s streets, they said.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police and the two city corporations blame each other for the traffic chaos caused by the preference of the drivers not to use the designated bus stoppages and the bays in the capital.
No satisfactory answers could be given by officials of Dhaka South City Corporation, Dhaka North City Corporation or the police as to why a solution to traffic congestions remained elusive in the capital.
The death of journalist Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury while alighting from a running mini bus at Karwan Bazaar Crossing in November 2014 highlighted the capital’s lingering traffic management crisis.
Iqbal Habib, urban planner and joint secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon blamed faulty traffic mismanagement and absence of political commitment for the capital’s traffic getting more and more anarchic.
‘If people get the needed facilities they will follow the rules,’ he told New Age.
The government should introduce bus rapid transit for quick and hassle free movement of commuters, he said.
Iqbal said that no interest was taken to systematizing traffic flow in the capital as it would dry up illegal collections for many.
He also said traffic management requires paying top priority to pedestrians.
But the pedestrians get the lowest priority from the authorities, he said.
Bus stoppages and bays created between 1997 and 1999 under the Dhaka Urban Transport Project are not used at all, said officials of Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority.
No driver uses the designated bus stoppages even at Kalabagan, Pathapath, Shahbagh, Farmgate, Paltan and New Market, they said.
The bus bays at Farmgate, Khilkeht and Airport crossings have been turned into parking lots for leguna, rickshaws and auto rickshaws or they are under use by vendors.
DTCA’s clean air and sustainable environment project director Md Anisur Rahman told New Age that there was none to ensure that the stoppages and bays were used by buses and minibuses.
No driver use the capital’s designated stoppages on 182 routes created by Dhaka Regional Transport Committee, said its officials.
DMP joint commissioner (traffic) Mosleh Uddin Ahmed said that it was the responsibility of the two city corporations build bus bays and designate the stoppages for the buses and mnibuses.
He claimed that police never allows buses to drop or pick up passengers at the crossings.
DNCC chief executive officer BM Enamul Haque said the two city corporations, police, Rajuk and public works ministry should jointly build new bus bays and designate the stoppages.
He said recently DTCA was looking for suitable spaces to build new bus bays in the capital.
It would be difficult to get spaces for new bus bays, he said.
No space is available in Dhaka South City for building new bus bays, said DSCC chief executive officer Ansar Ali Khan.