It appears that the ones in charge of traffic control of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) are out to prove to road users the ineffectiveness of the automated traffic signaling system. They want to convince the gullible people that the manual system is a better evil

Automatic versus mannual traffic signalling

The DMP authorities declared to members of the public about two months ago that from now on they would allow the automatic signalling lights to control traffic on an experimental basis for a short period of time. Within this period, they would examine how the changed system work to further streamline its operations. Thus, there was a catch in the DMP’s statement in the first place. They were describing the measure as temporary leaving the scope wide open for abandoning it and reverting back to the old system of manual signalling which is so fondly practiced by them.
The first day under the changed system was a spectacle in bewilderment and frenzy. It was a hotchpotch that worsened traffic jams all over the city when, ironically, the purpose of the new measure was easing jams. Traffic cops were found allowing the automatic signals to control traffic in the limited number of places where these are still not out of order. But there are many places in the city where the signalling lights have remained out of order for a long time. No step was taken to make them operative before enforcing the new directive.
Thus, on the first day of the new rule, the traffic signal was a mixture of manual signalling and automatic signalling--really-- though people were told that everywhere in the city traffic management would be through automatic signalling devices. So, the DMP started out on the first day of its new traffic operations by misinforming and misleading the people. After a few days, the cops were seen not even going by the signalling lights in some places but reverting to the manual signalling system.
No wonder that no benefits could be seen arising from such a shabby and muddled system of signalling. The automatic signalling in some places, manual signalling in some places despite the presence of signalling lights and the usual  manual signalling at many places, all these made a complete mockery of the declared intention of using only automatic signalling to ease jams. Rather the jams only turned the worst during that so called change . This was the overwhelming opinion of the road users.
So, what is the real purpose of this hoodwinking of the people ? It can be no other than imprinting in their minds that the use of the signalling lights can be no good under the present circumstances, to hide the present dereliction of their duties by traffic policemen and the other foul things they do. Anybody sensible enough who cares to watch the manual system of traffic management cannot fail to miss the aspect that the traffic police feel a sense of power of their own from retaining it. More importantly, this system allow them to detain operators of buses, cabs, three-whelers, etc., on some filmsy grounds and extort money from them on the pretext of checking their papers.
The automatic signalling system is no marvel in the context of Bangladesh. Such lights were set up in core areas of the city and contributed to the efficiency of traffic management even in the pre independence era. But after independence, the signalling lights that existed in some landmark areas of the city such as Gulistan and Mothijheel went out of order one by one and nobody showed the care to make them operative again. Gradually, the entire traffic management was turned over to traffic policemen for manual controls. After heated criticisms in the media , the lights were repaired and new ones were set up to cover the city comprehensively some years ago. But inexplicably, the revitalized automatic signalling system was not allowed to function only after a few days of its trial operation and signalling lapsed back to the manual mode once again. It has remained like that ever since.
The manual signalling system is seen to be at the heart of the traffic management related agonies of the city’s commuters. It has been the familiar view in the roads of Dhaka that at intersections, traffic policemen block traffic movement through hand signalling for an irrational period of time. It lasts fifteen minutes on average and frequently longer – twenty minutes, thirty minutes or even longer. Such long detaining of the traffic can be justified if agitation, violence or processions or any other danger for the commuters are anticipated down the road.
When nothing of that sort exists and the traffic is held up, nonetheless, for so long, then the annoyance of road users should be easy to understand. There are many ways to make easy traffic movement in Dhaka city. The same include road widening, building new roads and infrastructures like flyovers, elevated expressways, etc. But these are long term measures and for the time being relief can be given to road users by only improving traffic management that should vitally include forcing the traffic policemen to give up their crazy manner of manual signalling for automatic signalling. The automatic signals usually are synchronized to change after no more than two or three minutes or five minutes at most. This ensures free-flow of traffic all the time without allowing stopped vehicles to form long lines leading to jams.
Traffic policemen know that some quarters including the writer of this article have been shouting for long that traffic signalling by hand must change to improve conditions.
So, in order to prove us wrong they had to resort to this gimmick of allowing traffic signalling by lights in name only for a few days. But if their trick is allowed to go on unchallenged, they will get every opportunity to justify making permanent the present system of manual signalling as the lesser evil.
Therefore, it becomes everyone’s duty to expose this deceitful move on the part of traffic wing of the DMP. People must know that automatic signalling is the right solution. But the automatic signalling can deliver and deliver well if it is operated properly. Presently, DMP is going for the automatic signalling in name only without changing anything . They must be ‘obliged’ to ‘truly’ operate a full fledged automatic system. To that end all the presently out of order signalling lights should be made functional and changing time of such lights all over the city should be synchronized  after a study of traffic movement and pressures on the roads at different times. When such a comprehensive and well synchronized automatic signalling system becomes ready and gets enforced, the traffic management would most likely improve a great deal.
Meanwhile, the government leaders who must have recommended switching over to the automatic signalling system but found feedbacks about the change not producing results, they should not lose heart.
They need to see through the scheming of the traffic policemen and take immediate steps to set up a smoothly functioning and properly synchronized signalling system all over the city on a sustainable basis.

The writer is lead programmer of a local NGO

It appears that the ones in charge of traffic control of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) are out to prove to road users the ineffectiveness of the automated traffic signaling system. They want to convince the gullible people that the manual system is a better evil

Automatic versus mannual traffic signalling

The DMP authorities declared to members of the public about two months ago that from now on they would allow the automatic signalling lights to control traffic on an experimental basis for a short period of time. Within this period, they would examine how the changed system work to further streamline its operations. Thus, there was a catch in the DMPs statement in the first place. They were describing the measure as temporary leaving the scope wide open for abandoning it and reverting back to the old system of manual signalling which is so fondly practiced by them. The first day under the changed system was a spectacle in bewilderment and frenzy. It was a hotchpotch that worsened traffic jams all over the city when, ironically, the purpose of the new measure was easing jams. Traffic cops were found allowing the automatic signals to control traffic in the limited number of places where these are still not out of order. But there are many places in the city where the signalling lights have remained out of order for a long time. No step was taken to make them operative before enforcing the new directive. Thus, on the first day of the new rule, the traffic signal was a mixture of manual signalling and automatic signalling--really-- though people were told that everywhere in the city traffic management would be through automatic signalling devices. So, the DMP started out on the first day of its new traffic operations by misinforming and misleading the people. After a few days, the cops were seen not even going by the signalling lights in some places but reverting to the manual signalling system. No wonder that no benefits could be seen arising from such a shabby and muddled system of signalling. The automatic signalling in some places, manual signalling in some places despite the presence of signalling lights and the usual manual signalling at many places, all these made a complete mockery of the declared intention of using only automatic signalling to ease jams. Rather the jams only turned the worst during that so called change . This was the overwhelming opinion of the road users. So, what is the real purpose of this hoodwinking of the people ? It can be no other than imprinting in their minds that the use of the signalling lights can be no good under the present circumstances, to hide the present dereliction of their duties by traffic policemen and the other foul things they do. Anybody sensible enough who cares to watch the manual system of traffic management cannot fail to miss the aspect that the traffic police feel a sense of power of their own from retaining it. More importantly, this system allow them to detain operators of buses, cabs, three-whelers, etc., on some filmsy grounds and extort money from them on the pretext of checking their papers. The automatic signalling system is no marvel in the context of Bangladesh. Such lights were set up in core areas of the city and contributed to the efficiency of traffic management even in the pre independence era. But after independence, the signalling lights that existed in some landmark areas of the city such as Gulistan and Mothijheel went out of order one by one and nobody showed the care to make them operative again. Gradually, the entire traffic management was turned over to traffic policemen for manual controls. After heated criticisms in the media , the lights were repaired and new ones were set up to cover the city comprehensively some years ago. But inexplicably, the revitalized automatic signalling system was not allowed to function only after a few days of its trial operation and signalling lapsed back to the manual mode once again. It has remained like that ever since. The manual signalling system is seen to be at the heart of the traffic management related agonies of the citys commuters. It has been the familiar view in the roads of Dhaka that at intersections, traffic policemen block traffic movement through hand signalling for an irrational period of time. It lasts fifteen minutes on average and frequently longer twenty minutes, thirty minutes or even longer. Such long detaining of the traffic can be justified if agitation, violence or processions or any other danger for the commuters are anticipated down the road. When nothing of that sort exists and the traffic is held up, nonetheless, for so long, then the annoyance of road users should be easy to understand. There are many ways to make easy traffic movement in Dhaka city. The same include road widening, building new roads and infrastructures like flyovers, elevated expressways, etc. But these are long term measures and for the time being relief can be given to road users by only improving traffic management that should vitally include forcing the traffic policemen to give up their crazy manner of manual signalling for automatic signalling. The automatic signals usually are synchronized to change after no more than two or three minutes or five minutes at most. This ensures free-flow of traffic all the time without allowing stopped vehicles to form long lines leading to jams. Traffic policemen know that some quarters including the writer of this article have been shouting for long that traffic signalling by hand must change to improve conditions. So, in order to prove us wrong they had to resort to this gimmick of allowing traffic signalling by lights in name only for a few days. But if their trick is allowed to go on unchallenged, they will get every opportunity to justify making permanent the present system of manual signalling as the lesser evil. Therefore, it becomes everyones duty to expose this deceitful move on the part of traffic wing of the DMP. People must know that automatic signalling is the right solution. But the automatic signalling can deliver and deliver well if it is operated properly. Presently, DMP is going for the automatic signalling in name only without changing anything . They must be obliged to truly operate a full fledged automatic system. To that end all the presently out of order signalling lights should be made functional and changing time of such lights all over the city should be synchronized after a study of traffic movement and pressures on the roads at different times. When such a comprehensive and well synchronized automatic signalling system becomes ready and gets enforced, the traffic management would most likely improve a great deal. Meanwhile, the government leaders who must have recommended switching over to the automatic signalling system but found feedbacks about the change not producing results, they should not lose heart. They need to see through the scheming of the traffic policemen and take immediate steps to set up a smoothly functioning and properly synchronized signalling system all over the city on a sustainable basis. The writer is lead programmer of a local NGO