City life and the city economy are dependent on orderly and efficient movement of people, goods and services. This task in Dhaka is extremely difficult even at the best of times. Under the present conditions, if something is not done very quickly, it will be an impossible task in the future.
The traffic system in Dhaka is absolutely chaotic. Millions of people spend hours in the polluted atmosphere on the road. About fifty-four percent of the vehicles on the road are slow-moving. Non-motorized transports and carriers, including pushcarts, occupy 73% of the roads. The mayor will have to coordinate with all agencies:
- to construct over-bridges, flyovers and by-passes,
- to introduce more buses,
- to reduce slow-moving vehicles,
- to widen existing roads,
- to open up and construct more roads as linkage,
- to keep existing roads clear for traffic at all times,
- to build new roads,
- to expedite the completion of the Ring Road around the perimeter of the city,
- to connect the Ring Road to and from the City Centre by public transport at regular intervals,
- to make link roads one-way in appropriate places,
- to enforce traffic laws, particularly by strict fitness tests on all vehicles,
- to stop the practice of duplicate licenses,
- to ensure tests and refresher training of all vehicle drivers prior to renewing their licenses,
- to build modern bus stands and terminals,
- to streamline taxi and scooter-stands,
- to build truck terminals and flyovers,
- to construct multi-storied parking lots in commercial areas,
- to install more traffic lights,
- to organize more traffic police and impart average professional training for the police,
- to increase the number of available traffic police,
- and finally, to amend traffic laws and rules and increase the scope of strict penal action against violators of traffic rules by establishing traffic courts, and introducing new methods of collecting fines and suspending driving licenses.
The mayor must also take the initiative, in cooperation with Ministry of Roads and Highways, to reorganize and re-structure the BRTA. For the present it may continue its operations in other parts of the country and in inter-district routes, but for the area within the jurisdiction of the City Corporation, a new unit must be created with new sets of rules and regulations for all motorized vehicles and public transports and carriers. The registration of buses, trucks, etc. and fitness certificates and driving licenses should be under the jurisdiction of the new unit. The new rules and regulations should be made to supervise, administer and control vehicles plying the city roads. Such rules and regulations should regulate:
- the age of vehicles,
- the type of vehicles,
- fitness certificates,
- emission control,
- issuance of driving licenses,
- training and retraining of drivers,
- rules of road use,
- overloading and faulty engines,
- and passenger safety.
This new unit should be administered jointly by the City Corporation and the BRTA.
An urgent initiative should be undertaken to set up, construct and maintain appropriate apparatus to ensure, enforce and increase public safety:
- Mobile traffic courts should be established in every major part of the city. These courts should operate every day of the week between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.
- Parking rules and regulations should be established and enforced strictly. Parking and driveway rules should be framed and followed for all houses and commercial buildings.
- An adequate number of tow-away vehicles should be procured in cooperation with the private sector to prevent illegal parking.
- Bus, taxi, scooter, rickshaw and truck stands should be fully planned and adequately provided for throughout the city.
- Drivers of all kinds of vehicles must undergo training to learn basic safety rules for the road to ensure public safety.
- All rickshaw drivers also must undergo training to learn basic safety rules and the rules of the road.
- The City Corporation should appoint its own set of traffic police in cooperation with the DMP. Alternatively, traffic police could be administered jointly by the DCC and DMP.
- Multi-storied bus terminals should be constructed at Saidabad / Mohakhali / Gabtali. Overpasses should be constructed linking terminals with city entry points to highways to avoid congestion.
- At least three multi-storied truck stands should be constructed. Overpasses should be constructed to allow trucks to reach such stands directly from main city roads. All drivers also must undergo training to learn basic safety rules and rules of the road to ensure public safety.
- In cooperation with the private sector and RAJUK, multi-storied car parking should be constructed in all busy commercial areas of the city.
- The City Corporation should set up a “City Transport Authority.” This authority shall manage all transport systems. A comprehensive system of cross city and cross connecting bus routes should be developed so that citizens can reach a bus stop within 5 to 10 minutes of walking and reach any destination within the city by bus. The number of buses should be at least 3000 within the next 5 years.
- Trucks going to and from Chittagong, to and from North Bengal or to and from any other part of Bangladesh should not be allowed to pass through city. Bypasses and Ring-roads under construction or under consideration should be expedited to ease inner city traffic.
- All streets should be kept clear for traffic at all times without any obstruction or other hindrance from unauthorized usage. No encroachment on the streets or footpaths should be allowed at any time.
