Ongoing mega-construction projects in the capital city have worsened the perennial traffic gridlock adding to the misery of city dwellers.
The Mass Rapid Transit Line from Mirpur to Motijheel has made lives of people unbearable.
Commuters are wasting valuable work hours on roads for traffic gridlocks on almost all the capital roads in recent times. Scenarios of the most parts of the city are almost the same.
Urban planners and transportation experts blamed lack of coordination and professionalism as well as faulty plans for the situation.
The city authorities have banned rickshaws on some of the roads in a bid to ease traffic congestion.
The roads from Gabtali to Azimpur via Asad Gate, the road from Science Lab Crossing to Shahbagh through Bata intersection and the road from Kuril to Syedabad Bus Terminal through Badda, Rampura and Khilgaon were made off-limit to rickshaws but the ban is being defied by rickshaw pullers. At present, piling works of Mass Rapid Transit Line-6, popularly known as metro rail on Uttara-Motijheel route, is going on from Motijheel to Bangla Motor area.
A High official of Dhaka Metropolitan Police told The Daily Observer that vehicular movements had become slow with the launch of development works from Bangle Motor to Motijheel.
Office goers at commercials hub on the Motijheel route alleged that since the start of metro rail construction, the lesser number of buses plying the streets resulted in the rise of their ordeal to go through Bangle Motor area.
Due to these reasons, he said, the traffic situation is getting severe every day between 5:00pm and 9:00pm from Motijheel to Bangla Motor.
People are also suffering on the Mirpur Road and at Pragati Sharani and also on streets in Gulistan, Banani, Razarbagh and Mohakhali.
The 20.1km MRT Line-6 will run from Uttara and pass through Pallabi, the west side of Rokeya Sarani and Farmgate, Hotel Sonargaon, Hotel Inter continual, TSC of Dhaka University, Doel Chattar, Topkhana Road and Bangladesh Bank.
There will be 16 stations in Uttara North, Central and South, Pallabi, Mirpur-11, Mirpur-10, Kazipara, Taltala, Agargaon, Bijoy Sarani, Farmgate, Sonargaon, National Museum, Doyel Chattar, Bangabandhu National Stadium and Bangladesh Bank.
Experts of Buet's Civil Engineering Department blamed parking on streets, encroachment of arterial or critical junctions by construction work, waste bins or other things, occupied footpaths, competition of buses for passengers and picking and dropping of passengers anywhere on the road for traffic jams.
While visiting some areas adjacent to the Mass Rapid Transit Line project this correspondent found long tailbacks as the size of the roads along the project site has turned narrower due to the construction work, forcing the vehicles to move slowly
DMP (Traffic) source said due to the ongoing development activities in the capital, traffic movements are facing obstacles but the situation is being handled by traffic police, he added.
There has been visible progress in the activities of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), flyovers and elevated expressways as part of steps taken to reduce traffic congestion in the capital, he said.
According to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Traffic Department, traffic jam has become intolerable over the last few days in some city areas, including Mirpur-12 to Mirpur-10 Crossing, Rokeya Sarani, Gulshan, Banani, Badda, Moghbazar, Eskaton, Tejgaon, Airport Road and Uttara, due to bad weather.
