Sooner than leaving Dhaka for Mymensingh, Anamika Tabassum, a inner most provider holder, had chalked up the enterprise disappear in her head: she ought to peaceable attain the destination by 9:30am if her bus started from Mohakhali at 7am. But her disappear took four hours.
The disappear assist to Dhaka became once even worse!
“Presumably the most frustrating segment became once returning to Dhaka. I left Trishal of Mymensingh lawful after 4pm and reached Dhaka spherical 10:30pm – nearly six hours!” Anamika told The Change Customary.
Per her, traffic jam and unfortunate street conditions discover made the Dhaka-Mymensingh disappear a nightmare.
Entry and exit roads to and from Dhaka are bumpy and beefy of potholes at areas, and as a result congested – which causes extreme disappear delays. Even smoother roads blueprint no longer develop mighty distinction.
Passing thru the Chittagong Road-Signboard-Jatrabari share can also very effectively be a more harrowing journey for those who enter the capital from Chattogram, Sylhet, Barishal and Khulna areas.
Jakir Hossain, who works in a inner most organisation in Dhaka, had to hiss 7 hours in the bus while coming from Brahmanbaria on Tuesday. He blamed the notorious Chittagong Road- Jatrabari gridlocks for making the same old 3-hour disappear correct into a disgustingly longer one.
Streams of long-haul buses and other transports plying expansive highways and an throughway all converge there from two predominant instructions – Kanchpur Bridge and Padma Bridge, making the precious entry-exit level nearly inaccessible in high hours.
Even supposing Mayor Hanif flyover handles a gigantic volume of traffic, the broad chase of transports from all instructions choke the ramp. The road below the flyover is poorly managed and left with potholes and parked buses, causing vehicles to battle to put Sayedabad interdistrict terminal or Gulistan roundabout.
Even when certain entry points had been improved with smoother roads, the predominant command begins when drawing come Dhaka attributable to extreme traffic jam.
It’s the traffic police who’re the first to respond and battle to preserve vehicles full of life. Having to be posted at spots like Jatrabari, Gabtoli and Mohakhali manner a nightmare for traffic constables and officers.
Controlling traffic on the exit-entry points is changing correct into a herculean job now, said Muhammad Talebur Rahman, a deputy commissioner at Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
“We’re preserving traffic discipline at the points utilising our journey and possess diagram. Additionally, we are trying and preserve the roads free from parking or roadside stalls,” he said.
Manner roads are wider and vehicles entering from all instructions salvage caught in congestion attributable to narrower roads at entry points, said Talebur, explaining one in every of the important thing reasons for chronic gridlocks at the city’s gateways.
“We feel that the points ought to peaceable be more accessible and roads at the entry-exit points ought to peaceable be made wider,” the DMP legitimate said, hoping that relevant authorities would witness into it.
Jatrabari, Gabtoli and Tongi – these three are thought of the predominant entrances to Dhaka from all over the save the country. Of these, of us from 40 districts enter Dhaka thru Jatrabari, 18 districts thru Gabtoli, and 5 districts thru Tongi.
Besides these predominant entrances, other entry points, such because the Keraniganj-Babubazar-Gulistan corridor, pose extra challenges for commuters. Keraniganj is notorious for extreme traffic jam, exacerbated by unfortunate street conditions, unplanned parking, and roadside stores. Dreary-full of life vehicles extra make a contribution to the congestion.
Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority’s Deputy Transport Planner Dhrubo Alam said, “Besides the unfortunate street conditions, the city’s entrances are obstructed by bus terminals, depots, and markets.”
Road users’ nightmares
Among the many entry points, the Tongi Road became once reportedly in the worst situation, riddled with bumps and potholes. However, the road has recently been repaired.
Even so, passengers incessantly suffer thru long, arduous journeys attributable to extreme traffic.
Manik, a helper on the Mymensingh-certain United Paribahan bus, said vehicles clutch hours to high-tail thru Tongi attributable to the extreme traffic.
He, nonetheless, said the newly constructed BRT flyover now permits vehicles to circumvent the road, offering some relief.
The Savar-Gabtoli route, yet any other entry level, became once beforehand in unfortunate situation however has considered enhancements recently.
Restore works and the building of provider lanes discover made the road smoother and more accessible. While chase has change into more easy, some points alongside the road peaceable suffer from unavoidable traffic jams.
Hatem Ali, a driver for the Tangail-certain SB Hyperlink bus, renowned that most of the road is now soft, though some areas below ongoing building are peaceable a minute bit uneven, slowing disappear.
Regardless of the enhancements, congestion stays at the Savar bus stand, Nabinagar, and Aminbazar.
Other routes, such because the Dhaka-Demra motorway and the Jatrabari-Signboard street, discover furthermore considered enhancements. The Postogola-Jatrabari corridor, though soft, is every so continuously choked with heavy traffic, making the disappear gruelling for travellers.
“The road ahead of Jatrabari is correct, however from Jatrabari to Sayedabad Bus Terminal, it is a ways in unfortunate situation. Potholes, parked vehicles, and non-motorised vehicles clog the road. So, we use the Mayor Hanif Flyover, however even then, we face intense traffic jams,” said Yousuf, a supervisor of Palki Paribahan.
Freight trucks every so continuously use the Ruhitpur-Beribadh street in Keraniganj to circumvent the congested predominant street. However, a lot of potholes discover developed alongside the slender bypass, making the route complex to navigate.
After passing Keraniganj, the Babubazar Bridge offers smoother roads, however the combo of motorised and non-motorised vehicles slows development vastly.
The road in opposition to Gulistan, beyond Babubazar Bridge, is in namely unfortunate situation, with deep potholes which are namely perilous in opposition to the wet season.
Md Safiqul Islam, a native auto driver, shared, “The Kadamtali, Keraniganj, and Babubazar roads are in correct situation, however about half of a kilometre of the road beyond Babubazar is in a rotten form with deep potholes, which change into more unpleasant in the wet season.”
He added that traffic jams in this space are a on each day foundation prevalence.
There are furthermore diversion roads leading into Dhaka that bypass the predominant roads, however their situation is furthermore unfortunate.
The Uttara-Mirpur Beribadh street, for instance, is slender and one-manner, with a broken floor and dirt, making it unstable for vehicles.
However, the Chandra-Baipail bypass and the Demra-Rupganj bypass roads are expansive however furthermore suffer from broken surfaces and unbearable traffic jam, making disappear equally complex.
Transport coordination authority’s Dhrubo Alam explained that bus depots ought to peaceable no longer be located at the entrances of the city.
They are planning to convert the Syedabad, Gabtoli, and Mohakhali terminals into city terminals, with 10 novel inter-district bus terminals and depots to be established commence air Dhaka.
He added, “We’re furthermore updating the Dhaka Metropolitan Transportation Approach Thought, which will encompass a preliminary conception for a goods transport thought. There will seemingly be commodity markets in the city, however it is no longer advisable to discover them at the city’s entrances, equivalent to Gabtoli or Jatrabari.”
Dhrubo furthermore talked about that Dhaka’s spherical waterways will seemingly be utilised for the transportation of products, offering an replacement technique to the congested roads.
