Move to streamline city traffic system
Vehicles get stuck in a gridlock at Wasa intersection in the port city of Chittagong. The photo was taken on Monday.Photo: Zobaer Hossain Sikder
Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) in cooperation with Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) has taken short-, mid- and long-term plans for streamlining the traffic system in the port city. With increasing number of vehicles, movement of traffic is becoming difficult here as most of the vehicles depend on the lone thoroughfare stretching from Kalurghat to Patenga. Vehicles from Dhaka cross the city through this road to reach northern parts of the district and hill districts of Rangamati and Khagrachhari as well as southern part of the district, Bandarban and Cox's Bazar. Due to acute gridlock at most of the intersections and densely populated areas everyday, city dwellers specially office goers, students and garment workers are facing intolerable sufferings while travelling to their destinations. Huge congestion is now a common scene on different busy intersections and points on the thoroughfares including Bahodderhat, Muradpur, Sholashahar 2 No. Gate, GEC, Dewanhat, Choumuhony, Agrabad Badamtali, Saltgola Crossing and EPZ Moor (Free Port). Apart from the thoroughfares, several other roads and city areas like New Market, Chawkbazar, Station Road, Kadamtali, Badurtala Road, Pathantuli, Patharghata, Madarbari remain gridlocked all the day. Apart from increased number of vehicles, reckless driving and violation of traffic rules by the drivers are worsening the situation. Moreover, the electronic traffic signal system installed at 43 points since 1989 are not being followed while traffic constables have been managing the job manually. Many of the signal lights have also remained out of order. Amidst such a situation, CMP traffic department officials at a meeting with the CCC officials chalked out several plans on February 24. The meeting took some short-term initiatives including implementation of electronic traffic signal system, beginning awareness programme among transport workers, owners and commuters, creating designated places for parking the public vehicles at the intersections. CCC electrical department has already started repairing the signal lights and buying of IPS to ensure uninterrupted power to the lights, said the CCC sources. Mahfuzul Hoque, superintendent engineer of electrical department, said they have fixed up timing system with around 50 percent of the signal lights in cooperation with the CMP traffic department. Officials at the traffic department said they have already started functioning of electronic signal system at nine busy points like Bahodderhat, Muradpur, Solashahar, GEC, Wasa, Lalkhan Bazar, Tigerpass, Chowmuhani and New Market. The department will start awareness programme among the rickshawpullers and drivers soon at the ward level with the help of CCC councillors. The city corporation would provide 100 people as community police to assist traffic constables at different busy points. It would allow movement of container carriers only at nighttime and movement of heavy trucks through Toll Road. As part of mid-term initiatives, traffic system would be reformed at the busiest points like Agrabad Badamtal to reduce the gridlock, said the sources. Deputy Commissioner (DC) of CMP Traffic Department Faruk Ahmed said they have started study to reform traffic system as the problem is getting acute. Other initiatives include creating parking spaces at different schools, rickshaw stands and some Sunday markets for the hawkers. Faruk said against the standard requirement of 16 percent to 25 percent road network in a city for smooth traffic movement there is only 7 percent roads in the port city. He underscored the need for reforming the traffic system and re-designing the road networks in this regard. He said they would also take some long-term steps to reorganise traffic in the Chittagong Port area considering the ever-growing pressure of vehicles at the adjoining areas,” Faruk said. He underscored the need for creating by-pass roads to make ways for the vehicles from Dhaka to reach the hill tracts and Cox's Bazar as part of the long-term initiative in order to reduce pressure on the city.
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