Reducing Traffic Jam becomes crucial fact in daily life

With a blooming population, the transport scenario of Bangladesh especially the Dhaka city has become the victim to sustain the huge pressure of both the motorized and non- motorized vehicles on the streets. The number of vehicles has increased tremendously from the past years and often these vehicles do not follow the traffic rules and regulations. As such people have to pay the price of their valuable time to attend on time to the office or any other important areas. Inadequate road spaces and running of thousands of vehicles has gifted us the non-lane based heterogeneous traffic system in Dhaka city. Even though the improved flyover and other structures has been built to mitigate the traffic jam but often these flyovers remain jam-packed resulting in serious traffic conditions. To mitigate the existing condition, a well-researched transportation network plan should be adopted. Some of the measures could possibly help in this respect.

Firstly, Introduction of Signalized junctions at every end is very necessary to control the traffic. Strict rules should be established against the law breakers so that the drivers think three times before it breaks the signal rules.

Secondly, Establishment of exclusive BUS Lane on the streets is very necessary so that the buses move freely without occurring any collision to the other vehicles. The signal priority of these Bus Lanes should be different from the regular lanes, so that it enables transit vehicles to start ahead of private vehicles.

Thirdly, the system of carpool or vanpool should be introduced so that people having the private vehicles use this system rather than creating traffic jam on street by taking out their individual cars on the roads.

Fourthly, developed bus stoppage should be constructed so that buses stops at designated points rather than picking or dropping the passengers at the middle of the road causing traffic jam and risking the lives of passengers.

Fifthly, Use of regulations and traffic engineering to control traffic. Examples of traffic regulations include: Parking restrictions, Turn restrictions, Loading & Unloading restrictions of the vehicles etc. may help in mitigating the traffic jam. The delay that are causing due the traffic jam has an adverse effect to our national economy. Implementation of innovative idea in the field of traffic engineering is necessary to save time, to boost up the economy of the country, to mitigate the traffic jam and also to establish the clean environment of the city.

Writer Yashin Abdullah Ali is an engineer and currently associated with Energypac.