Dhaka roads get riddled with traffic jam Tuesday

Mohammad Liton – a private company employee – had taken a bus from Dhaka’s Kajla area towards Gulistan on Tuesday. But due to unusually heavy traffic, he had to get down in the middle of Mohammed Hanif Flyover and continue on foot.

A frequent commuter on this route, Liton said it took him hours to get to his destination, instead of the typical 30-40 minutes.

Another private sector professional named Al Amin spent an hour getting from Mirpur’s Shewrapara area to Karwan Bazar amid severe gridlock, a commute that barely takes 25-30 minutes any other day.

Several commuters stuck in tailbacks across the capital city said the Awami League, its associates and affiliates held a rally and peace procession on Bangabandhu Avenue against communal violence on Tuesday.

The leaders and workers started gathering in the area from 11am, and the procession started heading towards the Central Shaheed Minar around 11:30am. But even though the front of the procession reached Shaheed Minar at 12:10pm, those at the back remained at the Secretariat.

Commuters alleged that the procession triggered severe traffic jams as vehicles could not navigate through various roads throughout the city at a normal pace.

On Monday, protesters cordoned off Shahbagh in protest of attacks on Hindu shrines, homes and businesses in different parts of Bangladesh. Large gridlocks plagued different roads in the capital on that day too.

Police say it has been a challenge to keep traffic normal in Dhaka due to various ongoing development projects and road repair activities.

Quddus Byapari – a bus driver by profession – said, “The tailbacks were caused due to the programmes at Shahbagh and Bangabandhu Avenue on Monday and Tuesday respectively. However, passengers are blaming us for their suffering.”

Another driver, Mohammad Sattar blamed the combined effects of rainfall, demonstration events and road repairs for increasing the commuters’ suffering in the city.

Responding to a query, DMP Traffic Motijheel Division’s Additional Deputy Commissioner Tarek Ahmed told Business Post, “The Awami League organised a programme today [Tuesday]. We implemented diversions on roads to help keep the traffic normal during that time.

“There was a little traffic jam, but situation on the roads normalised after 3pm.”

According to a World Bank report, “In the last 10 years, the average driving speed has dropped from 21 kilometers per hour to 6 kilometers an hour. If business as usual continues, it risks dropping to four kilometers per hour by 2035, slower than the average walking speed.”

Another study, conducted by Accident Research Institute (ARI) under Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), said, “Traffic congestion in Dhaka eats up around 5 million working hours every day.”

The study also says congestion causes an annual loss of between Tk 20,000 crore and Tk 55,000 crore.