Traffic Congestion in Dhaka

Wasting Around 82,00,000 Working Hours Daily

Rtv News

06 Oct 2024, 14:16

Photo: File Picture

The traffic congestion in the capital city is wasting around 8.2 million working hours daily. Massive use of private vehicles is responsible for the lack of order on the roads and thus, people cannot enjoy the advantage of rising public transport.

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Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association Secretary General Mozammel Haque Chowdhury revealed this at a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity on Sunday (October 6) at 11 o'clock.

In his written speech, he said, "The citizens of the capital are stuck in a terrible traffic jam because of the lack of respect for the rules and regulations of the passengers. It takes more than 4 to 5 hours to go from one end of the city to another. 8.2 million working hours of working people are wasted every day in Dhaka's traffic jams. BUET's information says that the financial loss in this traffic jam is Tk50,000cr every year.

He said, "The capital's public transport system has been broken for ages. Buses and mini-buses operating in the city are discolored with no rear light indicators and front-looking glasses. Can't sit on the seat with two legs apart. The footrests and catch handles are broken, have to stand for long periods. During the hot summer days, the bus is drenched in sweat, and in the rainy season, the bus is still drenched in rain. There is no cleanliness in any buses. Buses are not available at the right time even after enduring the agony of getting on and off the dirty, infested, cockroach-infested buses."

Mozammel further said, 'In such a reality, the able-bodied are buying private cars by taking loans. Others have turned to motorcycle ride-sharing, auto-rickshaws, easy bikes, e-bikes, and smaller vehicles like ride-hailing. As a result, 4,00,000 pedal-powered rickshaws, 6,00,000 battery-powered rickshaws and easybikes, 1,34,000 small ride-sharing vehicles, 30,000 CNG-powered auto-rickshaws are moving freely in the city, along with chaotic buses, the traffic congestion and crowding of the city are increasing extremely. On the other hand, the traffic system to control these vehicles is still outdated. After the change of government, 4,000 traffic police in the city are still inactive. In this situation, modern engineering traffic control system needs to be introduced on an urgent basis to reduce traffic congestion."

"According to BRTA's information, an average of 800 small vehicles are coming down in the capital every day. According to a JICA survey, 60 percent of the daily average 40 million trip passengers travel in Dhaka metropolis use public transport. 67 percent of these passengers use buses only. However, the quality of passenger service of Dhaka City Bus has been lacking quality for the last 20 years. To reduce the traffic congestion in Dhaka, the bus-minibus system must be fixed first. The registration of small vehicles and the movement of these vehicles on the main roads of the city should be stopped," he further added.

Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity has demanded to improve city services in Dhaka city by providing a bus route rationalization system with privileged lanes, removing small vehicles including rickshaws, and easy bikes from the main roads of the city, and scientifically controlling the traffic system.

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