The population in Dhaka city is increasing day by day. People of all walks of life are coming towards this capital city for the cause of earning better livelihood. Nowadays, traffic jam has become a very common matter in the big cities. Everybody thinks that all the problems will be solved if somebody can manage to come to this city. Even during this pandemic, traffic jam is observed in many important intersections of the city.
There are many reasons behind trafficjam in our country.
Many construction works are going on in the city. Constructions of Metro Rail, repair, maintenance of sewage line, construction and repair of drainage systems are few of those works. Due to heavy rain, many areas and roads are becoming waterlogged which multiplies people’s sufferings due to traffic jam.
The main reasons are over population, unplanned city structure, over vehicles, unlicensed vehicles, narrowness of the roads, overtaking tendency ect.
Traffic jam is an old scar in Dhaka City. It has been intensifying day by day for the last few days as the lockdown has been withdrawn. It has become a common phenomenon in different areas of Dhaka City. It is also noticed that even during lockdowns, there were traffic jams in the Dhaka city.
Violating traffic rules, lack of strict traffic rules, the undutifulness of traffic polices are also responsible behind trafficjam. Due to influx of people from rural areas in Dhaka, a huge number of rickshaws are observed in the city. Rickshaws along with the slow moving vehicles create unexpected jam in the city. The growth rate of population has drastically increased after 1974.
Traffic jam is a dreadful curse in our busy life. It is very boring and time-killing.
The net migration to Dhaka city made the growth rate much critical. The city had to suffer a lot as job opportunities and infrastructural development did not grow proportionately. It snatches away much valuable time. The city people are using mostly rickshaws and local buses to get into and out of the city. Traffic jam becomes severe at the time of starting and breading of various offices and schools. Along with the public and privately owned vehicles, these rickshaws and buses make the city a jammed one. The average traffic speed in Dhaka has fallen from 21 kmph to 7 kmph in the last 15 years.
This might so happen that the speed would be 4 kmph by 2035 (According to a World Bank Report). In another study, carried out by BRAC Bank, it is found that the traffic jam ruins around 5 million work hours every day. Indirectly, traffic jam hinders our national develpoment. If we convert this into money, it is almost the losing of $11.4 billion per year. So it is the cost of time lost in traffic jam and also the money lost on operating cars for extra hours.
So traffic jam is not acceptable at all. To remove (Traffic jam) we all should be aware and sincere.
The government and the authority should take proper steps.
The average traffic speed in Dhaka has fallen from 21 kmph to 7 kmph in the last 15 years. This might so happen that the speed would be 4 kmph by 2035 (According to a World Bank Report).
In another study, carried out by BRAC Bank, it is found that the traffic jam ruins around 5 million work hours every day. If we convert this into money, it is almost the losing of $11.4 billion per year. So it is the cost of time lost in traffic jam and also the money lost on operating cars for extra hours. Managing heavy traffic is not a matter of joke and it also causes serious mental agony. At least 90 percent of buses, minibuses, and auto rickshaws do not follow traffic rules (According to a Survey Carried out by Passengers Welfare Association).
Roads should be widened, unlicensed vehicles and drivers should be banned, strict traffic rules should be applied etc. In the current year, from 01 January to 30 April, 1,841 people of different ages were killed and almost 5,471 injured. Most of the injured persons are unable to lead a normal life which entails economic and social cost like healthcare, rehabilitation and other property damages.
This cannot be measured in terms of money. In the year 2020, it was more serious than what is observed from January to April in 2021. There are a number of reasons behind the traffic jam in the city. Few of those are inappropriate traffic system, lack of awareness etc. We also find few more causes like unskilled drivers, unfit and unusable vehicles, narrow road conditions and unplanned urbanization. Most importantly, slow moving manually driven vehicles run alongside the high powered engine driven vehicles almost in all roads in the city. To manage this mixed traffic, the number of traffic police is too meagre to explain.
For the purpose of improving the traffic situation in Dhaka city the government has undertaken few positive steps. Those are, widening the roads, footpath expansion, constructing flyovers and overpasses, introducing U-loops etc. If we consider the economic growth of the country,db42.jpg)