Enforce traffic discipline for road safety

According to a survey, an average of five to seven years is deducted from the total life expectancy of 70 years in capital for traffic jam. What a horrible disclosure!

The whole scenario of the traffic discipline has been conspicuously in a state of total pandemonium over the years in almost all mega cities and highways of Bangladesh. Because of the virtually paralyzed and etherized traffic management system, we can hardly feel the pulse of any discipline in the movement of the traffic on the roads. To our utter dismay, steering wheels are now increasingly being used not as a reliable device for safe arrival at our desired destinations but as a license-free device for killing innocent people on the roads. In an environment of absentee-policing regarding traffic movement, the people on the driving-seats most often go on the rampage playing havoc at their own sweet will. The most ghastly chapter of the traffic anarchy is that the men at the wheels get scot-free even after killing innocent pedestrians.

Unquestionably, Dhaka is now the capital of traffic mismanagement of the globe. Among many other reasons that are fast transforming Dhaka from a livable city into an unlivable one, traffic mismanagement matters the most. Traffic jam resulting from absence of discipline in the management of traffic is obviously not an occurrence as per a particular schedule. Rather, it is factually an occurrence counted in the scale of seconds. A Dhaka dweller is now surrounded by the presentiment of a looming panic hovering over his/her head as to when he/she will be unavoidably trapped in the long tailback of traffic. Personal and professional schedules of the Dhaka dwellers have long been shattered totally by the undisciplined flow of traffic on the Dhaka roads. According to a survey, an average of five to seven years is deducted from the total life expectancy of 70 years. What a horrible disclosure!

Like mega-city Dhaka, the scenario of all other big cities also speaks of an intolerable traffic jam, though clearly, on a much lesser scale of severity. Apart from this city traffic phenomenon, still another and obviously the most terrible manifestation of chaotic traffic management is routinely staging its gory episodes on all our busy highways and roads. The absolutely desperado killing machines are regularly taking a heavy toll of innocent lives precisely because of an environment of total lawlessness in the management of traffic. What I actually want to mean by lawlessness is that provisions regarding traffic control have simply been shelved as only written statutory clauses of the manual book rather than becoming actively operational and functional restraining mechanism.

By traffic discipline I categorically mean all the inter-related facets and factors concerning the smooth flow of traffic on the roads. Fundamental traffic requirements of Dhaka city, in fact, covers the fulfillment of the whole gamut of all necessary infrastructural facilities the prominent of which include the construction of roads through the east west connection of Dhaka, construction of embankment-cum-roads along the periphery of Dhaka, elevated expressways, multi-layered flyovers, Metro-Rail, increase of manpower in traffic-policing management, etc. In my own opinion, for ensuring the smooth and safe flow of traffic, the first thing that has to be done on the topmost priority basis is undoubtedly the construction of deliberately planned and long-term interest-serving new roads when and where necessary both in Dhaka city and elsewhere in the country. A city of about 17 million people with ever-increasing new entrants with the each passing day, the city of Dhaka is now just limping and gasping.

Just after the fulfillment of the least minimum primary road infrastructural requirements in proportion to the population growth, the second most important thing in the smooth management of traffic flow is unquestionably to build a reinforced-concrete framework of traffic-policing discipline. Even if we have a solidly-built wide road network, in absence of a centrally synchronized and coherent traffic management code and its strict enforcement in practice all our good wishes and efforts are bound to yield zero output. To make it clearer, we had better cite the example of the construction process of a building. Even after collecting all the raw materials needed to make a building, all the efforts will simply be a futile drive if not synchronized by the touchtone of engineering expertise.

In the truest sense, traffic discipline aims at dealing with a wide range of component pre-requisites with a singular goal of ensuring smooth and safe flow of traffic on the roads. The most prominent ones include checking the mechanical fitness of the vehicles moving on the roads, ensuring the stipulated speed limit of the vehicles, verifying the required eligibility of the drivers, properly directing the movement in a safe way, controlling the aggressive overtaking tendency of the drivers.

 It is an open secret that around 90% drivers of our country do not fulfill the minimum criteria of qualifications in comparison to the global standard. It will be simply like living in the fool’s paradise once we let them a total lease of our roads beyond the surveillance of deterrence and accountability. It is a universal truth that whether qualified or not-qualified the most challenging task before each and every person at the steering wheel is to remain cool in all situations. If the case is so then we can easily imagine the fatal consequences letting loose the unqualified and inexperienced drivers to have their way on the roads.

True that, we have traffic policemen on the roads to direct and control the traffic flow in a safer and organized fashion. But what sort of jobs these policemen are actually doing on the roads? They are most often seen busy with doing jobs other than their professional and scheduled ones. For instance, they are seen talking with the drivers of the moving vehicles at their cabin windows, gossiping in the nearby roadside betel-nut shops. There is, of course, a supervising and controlling authority being paid to monitor the everyday activities and developments of the law-enforcers of the roads. Now, an unavoidable question automatically comes to the forefront. Who will shoot the problem-shooters’ problem? The answer is not far to seek. Over the years, there has been a rampant practice of chain appeasement among the rank and files of the traffic-policing hierarchy which is why the very vitals of the traffic-policing disciplining are being undermined continually.

No doubt that the traffic police department has been seriously suffering from a severe manpower shortage. Even then, the issues like the sense of duty, responsibility, accountability and above all patriotism cannot at all be overlooked under any circumstances. Instead, these core considerations have to be addressed with all seriousness and topmost priority. Infrastructure is not that difficult to build up but it is far too more difficult to inculcate these values in the minds of the law-enforcers of the roads. Still, I am optimistic in the sense that it is not impossible to translate these norms and values into practice.

So far as the road safety is concerned, the exigency of ensuring discipline in the movement of the traffic is a must. Again, for ensuring traffic discipline the presence of an actively operational impartial monitoring institution is far more important. It is a matter of grave concern that our roads are increasingly becoming death-traps. There is no warranty of our safe arrival at homes. Killer wheels are all around awaiting us to make their prey. It is high time we made concerted efforts to make our roads safe for our secure use only through ensuring stricter code of discipline in the movement of traffic.

The writer is Assistant Professor of English, Bogra Cantonment Public School & College. E-mail: [email protected]

 

 

Enforce traffic discipline for road safety

According to a survey, an average of five to seven years is deducted from the total life expectancy of 70 years in capital for traffic jam. What a horrible disclosure!

The whole scenario of the traffic discipline has been conspicuously in a state of total pandemonium over the years in almost all mega cities and highways of Bangladesh. Because of the virtually paralyzed and etherized traffic management system, we can hardly feel the pulse of any discipline in the movement of the traffic on the roads. To our utter dismay, steering wheels are now increasingly being used not as a reliable device for safe arrival at our desired destinations but as a license-free device for killing innocent people on the roads. In an environment of absentee-policing regarding traffic movement, the people on the driving-seats most often go on the rampage playing havoc at their own sweet will. The most ghastly chapter of the traffic anarchy is that the men at the wheels get scot-free even after killing innocent pedestrians. Unquestionably, Dhaka is now the capital of traffic mismanagement of the globe. Among many other reasons that are fast transforming Dhaka from a livable city into an unlivable one, traffic mismanagement matters the most. Traffic jam resulting from absence of discipline in the management of traffic is obviously not an occurrence as per a particular schedule. Rather, it is factually an occurrence counted in the scale of seconds. A Dhaka dweller is now surrounded by the presentiment of a looming panic hovering over his/her head as to when he/she will be unavoidably trapped in the long tailback of traffic. Personal and professional schedules of the Dhaka dwellers have long been shattered totally by the undisciplined flow of traffic on the Dhaka roads. According to a survey, an average of five to seven years is deducted from the total life expectancy of 70 years. What a horrible disclosure! Like mega-city Dhaka, the scenario of all other big cities also speaks of an intolerable traffic jam, though clearly, on a much lesser scale of severity. Apart from this city traffic phenomenon, still another and obviously the most terrible manifestation of chaotic traffic management is routinely staging its gory episodes on all our busy highways and roads. The absolutely desperado killing machines are regularly taking a heavy toll of innocent lives precisely because of an environment of total lawlessness in the management of traffic. What I actually want to mean by lawlessness is that provisions regarding traffic control have simply been shelved as only written statutory clauses of the manual book rather than becoming actively operational and functional restraining mechanism. By traffic discipline I categorically mean all the inter-related facets and factors concerning the smooth flow of traffic on the roads. Fundamental traffic requirements of Dhaka city, in fact, covers the fulfillment of the whole gamut of all necessary infrastructural facilities the prominent of which include the construction of roads through the east west connection of Dhaka, construction of embankment-cum-roads along the periphery of Dhaka, elevated expressways, multi-layered flyovers, Metro-Rail, increase of manpower in traffic-policing management, etc. In my own opinion, for ensuring the smooth and safe flow of traffic, the first thing that has to be done on the topmost priority basis is undoubtedly the construction of deliberately planned and long-term interest-serving new roads when and where necessary both in Dhaka city and elsewhere in the country. A city of about 17 million people with ever-increasing new entrants with the each passing day, the city of Dhaka is now just limping and gasping. Just after the fulfillment of the least minimum primary road infrastructural requirements in proportion to the population growth, the second most important thing in the smooth management of traffic flow is unquestionably to build a reinforced-concrete framework of traffic-policing discipline. Even if we have a solidly-built wide road network, in absence of a centrally synchronized and coherent traffic management code and its strict enforcement in practice all our good wishes and efforts are bound to yield zero output. To make it clearer, we had better cite the example of the construction process of a building. Even after collecting all the raw materials needed to make a building, all the efforts will simply be a futile drive if not synchronized by the touchtone of engineering expertise. In the truest sense, traffic discipline aims at dealing with a wide range of component pre-requisites with a singular goal of ensuring smooth and safe flow of traffic on the roads. The most prominent ones include checking the mechanical fitness of the vehicles moving on the roads, ensuring the stipulated speed limit of the vehicles, verifying the required eligibility of the drivers, properly directing the movement in a safe way, controlling the aggressive overtaking tendency of the drivers. It is an open secret that around 90% drivers of our country do not fulfill the minimum criteria of qualifications in comparison to the global standard. It will be simply like living in the fools paradise once we let them a total lease of our roads beyond the surveillance of deterrence and accountability. It is a universal truth that whether qualified or not-qualified the most challenging task before each and every person at the steering wheel is to remain cool in all situations. If the case is so then we can easily imagine the fatal consequences letting loose the unqualified and inexperienced drivers to have their way on the roads. True that, we have traffic policemen on the roads to direct and control the traffic flow in a safer and organized fashion. But what sort of jobs these policemen are actually doing on the roads? They are most often seen busy with doing jobs other than their professional and scheduled ones. For instance, they are seen talking with the drivers of the moving vehicles at their cabin windows, gossiping in the nearby roadside betel-nut shops. There is, of course, a supervising and controlling authority being paid to monitor the everyday activities and developments of the law-enforcers of the roads. Now, an unavoidable question automatically comes to the forefront. Who will shoot the problem-shooters problem? The answer is not far to seek. Over the years, there has been a rampant practice of chain appeasement among the rank and files of the traffic-policing hierarchy which is why the very vitals of the traffic-policing disciplining are being undermined continually. No doubt that the traffic police department has been seriously suffering from a severe manpower shortage. Even then, the issues like the sense of duty, responsibility, accountability and above all patriotism cannot at all be overlooked under any circumstances. Instead, these core considerations have to be addressed with all seriousness and topmost priority. Infrastructure is not that difficult to build up but it is far too more difficult to inculcate these values in the minds of the law-enforcers of the roads. Still, I am optimistic in the sense that it is not impossible to translate these norms and values into practice. So far as the road safety is concerned, the exigency of ensuring discipline in the movement of the traffic is a must. Again, for ensuring traffic discipline the presence of an actively operational impartial monitoring institution is far more important. It is a matter of grave concern that our roads are increasingly becoming death-traps. There is no warranty of our safe arrival at homes. Killer wheels are all around awaiting us to make their prey. It is high time we made concerted efforts to make our roads safe for our secure use only through ensuring stricter code of discipline in the movement of traffic. The writer is Assistant Professor of English, Bogra Cantonment Public School College. E-mail: [email protected]