The New Nation - Internet Edition

IT is apparent that the worsening traffic jams in Dhaka have a close relationship with the crumbling road conditions in many parts of the city. Roads in many areas of Dhaka city are dilapidated. In their present conditions the roads slow down all types of vehicles. Faster movement of vehicles is impossible over roads with such poor surfaces. Traffic jams or exasperating slowdowns become inevitable on such roads where speed must be much slowed due to road conditions. From slow moving rickshaws and pushcarts to private cars and buses, all are required to move very slowly on pot-holed roads. Sometimes, traffic has to move at snail's pace to get around the bigger holes and even ditches on roads. The worn-out roads are not only causing traffic jams but also posing serious accidents. Thus, extensive repair of the roads is a major precondition to be fulfilled for the overall improvement of Dhaka's traffic management.

There exists presently little coordination between different utility agencies as these bodies resort to frequent digging of roads. For instance, the Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) may dig up an important road for laying underground cables for a digital telephone network. Soon after the completion of such a project and the repaving, the same road sections could be dug up once again for laying sewer lines or electric cables. Apart from lack of coordination, the projects are not completed swiftly as those should be. All sorts of debris remain scattered on roads even after the completion of the works that narrow down road space and create obstructions for the traffic. Strong watch should be maintained at the work sites to keep the roads tidy so that reasonable space remain for traffic flow even as the works progress. An effective coordination mechanism must be worked out so that repeated digging of roads becomes unnecessary and several projects can be undertaken and completed simultaneously.