One-way traffic eases jam, ups suffering for locals

It was decided at a meeting of the Road Transport Committee of CMP on April 12.

The roads made one-way are Garibullah Road, OR Nizam Road and No-1 Sadarghat Road.

Garibullah Road runs from in front of the Garibullah Shah (R) Mazar linking Zakir Hossain Road in the north and CDA Avenue at Dampara in the south, OR Nizam Road from Goal Pahar intersection to GEC intersection (Shaheed Abdul Halim Sarak) and No. 1 Sadarghat Road runs from in front of the Sadarghat Kalibari by passing New Market intersection.

Besides, the meeting decided to make the Agrabad Sheikh Mujib Road off-limits to trucks from 5:00pm to 11:00pm.

One-way movement of vehicles has made the roads a bit congestion-free. But it created immense suffering for those living in the residential areas adjoining the Abdul Halim Sarak and the Garibullah Road, local people said.

The people of three adjoining residential areas -- Shah Garibullah, Baitul Aman and Kusumbag -- have already had a bitter experience following one-way traffic along Garibullah Road.

They said the introduction of one-way traffic without removing the elements responsible for the gridlock is a "futile effort" to ease the traffic congestion.

It will create unnecessary harassment to the passengers, particularly those travelling by rickshaws, rather than easing the traffic jam, they said.

An illegal bus stand along with counters of Chittagong-Dhaka and Chittagong-Dhaka-Benapole (Jessor) routes keeps the southern end (Dampara CDA avenue) of the road blocked in the morning and evening. And, off-loading of passengers by buses from Noakhali and illegal rickshaw garages along the footpaths block the northern end of the road near Zakir Hossain Road.

After the introduction of one-way traffic, only entry of the buses from Noakhali and off-loading of their passengers have been stopped.

Two by-lanes lead to the housing societies deriving from Garibullah Road.

Residents and children now have to walk all the way to Ispahani Public School and College, Omar Gani MES College and Chittagong (Govt) Women's College as the rickshaws cannot enter by-lanes through the northern end of Garibullah Road.

Mrs Touhid and Mrs Kutubi, two housewives with kids in Ispahani School, said that rickshaws now have to enter the by-lanes, travelling five to six times longer distance. It also raises rickshaw fares several times higher and takes much more time, they said.

"Our requests to allow rickshaws to enter the by-lane, only some 50 yards off the northern end of the road, are turned down," they added.

The other residents and local businessmen of these housing societies also expressed the same view.

The new system only benefitted the buses of the Dhaka-Chittagong route, which now rule the road meant for the local residents, local people said.

Shifting of the bus stand and illegal parking of the buses at the southern end and rickshaws garages along the pavements of northern end of the road can put an end to the traffic jam here instead of one-way traffic, they said.

Meanwhile, DC (Traffic) Ali Akber Khan said that roads were made "one-way" after monitoring and examining the movements of vehicles on the roads. "As per our observation in the last two days the measure helped ease congestion and smooth movement of vehicles," he said.

He said Agrabad Sheikh Mujib was not made off-limits to trucks in the day time to facilitate transportation of goods from Chittagong port.