Digitalisation of traffic signals goes in vain

All initiatives to digitalise the traffic signal system in the capital failed in the past 20 years even defying High Court directive and joint initiatives of the ministries.

After installation of the automated traffic signals at 70 road crossings in 2001-2002, other initiatives like timer countdown, digital display board, solar panels, remote-control system and the intelligent traffic system became mere showpieces on which crores of taka were spent.

Currently, traffic police are controlling the vast flow of traffic on the roads with manual signals while the vision of a ‘digital Bangladesh’ has been touted by the government for many years.

Prominent town planners said that the signals are kept in an ineffective condition to lend privilege to some elite groups.

At least 28 signals are now closed, 25 are removed following different development works, 12 need maintenance, eight are out of order, four are partially active and 11 are fully active, as per the information provided by Dhaka’s two city corporations.

The city corporation authorities and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police blamed each other for the present condition of the signals and the ongoing development works for the situation while urban planners blamed lack of coordination among the authorities and culture of impunity for the situation.

Meanwhile, the High Court on January 20, 2020, after hearing a writ petition, directed the authorities concerned to submit a report on the mismanagement of traffic signal monitoring system in Dhaka and form a policy on signals.

Following the directive a committee was formed and the fourth meeting of the committee is scheduled to be held today to discuss the present conditions of the signals.

‘The meeting is called to discuss the present stagnant condition of the signals,’ said DMP additional commissioner for traffic Md Munibur Rahman on Monday.

Dhaka South City Corporation chief executive officer ABM Amin Ullah Nuri told New Age on Sunday that they were trying to make the signals active.

‘We want to do this in coordinating with the police,’ he added.

Recently, a report on Automated Traffic Signal was sent to the home ministry from the World Bank-funded Clean Air and Sustainable Environment Project under the Dhaka South and North City Corporations.

As per the report, in 2001-2002 fiscals under the WB-funded Dhaka Urban Transport Project, automated traffic signals were installed at 70 major road crossings in the capital.

This initiative cost Tk 13 crore, as per the then CASE project officials.

The signals went out of order within a few years for lack of maintenance, officials of the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority said.

Later in 2012-13 fiscals, under the CASE project, the two Dhaka city corporations developed and made active the signals including the installation of the solar panels and timer countdown systems at 70 crossings and 29 new signals in the city at a cost of around Tk 96.71 lakh.

Under the same project in 2018-2019 fiscals, signals were made active again at 43 crossings and new signals were installed at seven intersections in the city at the cost of Tk 7 crore.

In 2018-2019 fiscals, under the same project, remote controls were distributed among the traffic police to control traffic at 21 crossings.

There have also been at least 17 big and 14 small digital display boards set up at key points by the city corporation authorities at a cost of Tk 27 crore.

Currently, as per the report sent to the home ministry, signals at Shahbagh, Topkhana, Shapla Chattar, Agargaon, Bijoy Sarani, Farmgate, Hotel Sonargaon, Khamarbari, and Gulshan-1 crossings were removed for the ongoing projects like metro rail, BRT, and U-loops.

According to the report on March 16, 2014 a decision was taken by the then communications minister to hand over the operation and maintenance of the signals to the DMP which is yet to be implemented.

On March 25, 2019, at a meeting, the then DMP additional commissioner for traffic Mofiz Uddin Ahmed said that they were not yet prepared for taking the responsibility due to lack of manpower, the report added.

Against this backdrop, the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority initiated the Dhaka Integrated Traffic Management Project in July 2015 to bring Dhaka’s four crossings — Paltan, Phulbari, Mohakhali and Gulshan-1 — under Intelligent Transportation System.

After four deadline extensions, it was finally extended to June this year from the initial deadline of June 2017 while after three extensions the cost was increased to Tk 52.08 crore from the initial estimated cost of Tk 36.37 crore.

The ITS system had been installed at these crossings by November 2019 but never worked as in January 2020, the project office came to know about the ‘loss’ of one of the server computers from a rented warehouse at Hazaribagh under the DSCC.

The Detective Branch is now investigating the incident.

Some of the officials from both the city corporation authorities and the police expressed concern over the fact that without the completion of the ongoing projects works on the road traffic signals would not work in the city.

Senior urban planner and president of the Institute of Architects Bangladesh Mubasshar Hussain told New Age on Monday that in the city the signals were not followed even in front of the prime minister’s office.

Additionally, vehicles of ministers, parliament members and senior government officials often run on the wrong lane of road on major roads.

The vehicles with flag stands enjoy the privilege, he mentioned.

Different initiatives to digitalise the signals had failed following the ongoing ‘commission businesses’, he alleged.

Without an integrated system and an implementation of the laws, the traffic signals would not work properly, he added.

Urban planner Iqbal Habib said that the major reason behind the ineffectiveness of traffic signals was the unsupportive attitude the traffic police often displayed.

‘Even if there are traffic signals, the police are seen controlling the traffic with hand, stick or  even laser light,’ he said, adding that by making traffic signals ineffective the facilities for the privileged were secured.

DSCC chief executive officer ABM Amin Ullah Nuri also said that they would also discuss the issue of different ongoing projects on roads at today’s meeting.

DMP additional commissioner Md Munibur Rahman said that the meeting would also see discussions on different changes regarding the signal system could take place.  

News Courtesy:

https://www.newagebd.net/article/130292/digitalisation-of-traffic-signals-goes-in-vain