Dangerous highways

Slow-moving vehicles are not the only traffic hazard. There are also temporary or permanent bazaars and tea-stalls that spill over onto the highways, creating bottlenecks

A European came to Bangladesh visit his Bangladeshi friend. The proud Bangladeshi showed him around. "This is our four-lane Dhaka-Chittagong  highway. Whenever I want to go for a long drive, I come here and start driving from Dhaka. It takes me about 5 hours to reach Chittagong” the Bangladeshi said.
The European was surprised. "Is it only a five-hour drive?" he asked.
"Yep," the Bangladeshi said proudly. 
"You mean that is all? This is your long drive?" the European said in an incredulous tone.
"Yes, yes, this is really a good drive!"  
"Well, son," said the European, "back home I get in my car before the is sun is up and I drive and drive and drive, and when the sun sets, why, I'm only halfway to my destination for a long drive!"
"Oh, yes," replied the Bangladeshi wistfully, "well, we face the same problem quite frequently. When traffic is bad, I have to drive for hours, and after 10 to 12 hours I find that I am still in Dhaka district!”
This is just a joke, but it explains how bad traffic is on our highways. Whenever we start a journey to any destination by road, the only thing we can be sure of is the time we start, because that is in our control, but it is impossible to predict the arrival time. 
Our highways are so unpredictable and chaotic that most of the time our long drive turns into nightmare. There might be thousands of reasons of traffic congestion on the highways, but the bottom line is, it is a waste of valuable time, energy, money and much more.  
If someone wants to research the variety of vehicles found in Bangladesh, there is no need to travel to  different parts of the country. One only need to drive for a few minutes on any nearby  highway.  The highways are like an animated exhibition of an unbelievable variety of vehicles. . One comes across everything from rickshaws to power-tillers to cars and trucks in any part of the country, no matter how busy the road is. 
When a heavy-duty bus or truck has to follow a  human-powered vehicle like a rickshaw or a cycle-van, it slows down the traffic  for kilometers. And when the frustrated driver tries to overtake the slow-moving vehicle,  most of the time it results in a head-on collision with another vehicle coming from the opposite direction.     
Slow-moving vehicles are not the only traffic hazard. There are also temporary or permanent bazaars and tea-stalls that spill over onto the highways, creating bottlenecks.  Drivers also have to deal with factories, houses and other structures that encroach onto the highways, creating chaos and increasing the risk of accidents. 
Fundamentally, traffic is an issue of density: It’s what happens when too many people try to squeeze through too small a space. Bangladesh is the 12th most densely populated nation on earth. To put the matter in perspective: Bangladesh is one-118th the size of Russia, but its population exceeds Russia’s by more than 25 million.
During the Eid vacations, or prior to any festival or even a long weekend, the common  headlines are : Dhaka-Aricha, Dhaka-Ctg highways in chaos, Stranded for hours on highways, Holidaymakers suffer in 13-km-long traffic jam on Dhaka-Chittagong highway, Tailback on Dhaka-Tangail Highway, Colossal traffic jam on Dhaka-Tangail highway, Huge traffic jam on Dhaka-Tangail highway, Gridlock on highways ahead 
of Eid.
Lack of training, counseling and patience of drivers make the traffic even worse. Unhealthy competition between transportation companies is also another reason of traffic congestion. Illegal parking of  cars, trucks and other vehicles also contribute to the jams.  Faulty traffic signaling systems, inadequate manpower, narrow roads  and the tendency of drivers to overtake rashly create traffic congestion. All these factors combined increase the suffering of commuters and create suffocating conditions on the streets. 
We all want a hassle free, risk free journey. Keeping present conditions in mind, I think that dreaming of a jam-free ride isn’t a figment of the imagination. As a layman, I feel that we can improve traffic conditions by banning rickshaw-vans, three-wheelers and other slow-moving non-motorised vehicles from the highways, and by forcing drivers to respect traffic laws.   

The writer is Senior News Editor
Independent TV,
Email: [email protected]

Dangerous highways

Slow-moving vehicles are not the only traffic hazard. There are also temporary or permanent bazaars and tea-stalls that spill over onto the highways, creating bottlenecks

A European came to Bangladesh visit his Bangladeshi friend. The proud Bangladeshi showed him around. This is our four-lane Dhaka-Chittagong highway. Whenever I want to go for a long drive, I come here and start driving from Dhaka. It takes me about 5 hours to reach Chittagong the Bangladeshi said. The European was surprised. Is it only a five-hour drive? he asked. Yep, the Bangladeshi said proudly. You mean that is all? This is your long drive? the European said in an incredulous tone. Yes, yes, this is really a good drive! Well, son, said the European, back home I get in my car before the is sun is up and I drive and drive and drive, and when the sun sets, why, Im only halfway to my destination for a long drive! Oh, yes, replied the Bangladeshi wistfully, well, we face the same problem quite frequently. When traffic is bad, I have to drive for hours, and after 10 to 12 hours I find that I am still in Dhaka district! This is just a joke, but it explains how bad traffic is on our highways. Whenever we start a journey to any destination by road, the only thing we can be sure of is the time we start, because that is in our control, but it is impossible to predict the arrival time. Our highways are so unpredictable and chaotic that most of the time our long drive turns into nightmare. There might be thousands of reasons of traffic congestion on the highways, but the bottom line is, it is a waste of valuable time, energy, money and much more. If someone wants to research the variety of vehicles found in Bangladesh, there is no need to travel to different parts of the country. One only need to drive for a few minutes on any nearby highway. The highways are like an animated exhibition of an unbelievable variety of vehicles. . One comes across everything from rickshaws to power-tillers to cars and trucks in any part of the country, no matter how busy the road is. When a heavy-duty bus or truck has to follow a human-powered vehicle like a rickshaw or a cycle-van, it slows down the traffic for kilometers. And when the frustrated driver tries to overtake the slow-moving vehicle, most of the time it results in a head-on collision with another vehicle coming from the opposite direction. Slow-moving vehicles are not the only traffic hazard. There are also temporary or permanent bazaars and tea-stalls that spill over onto the highways, creating bottlenecks. Drivers also have to deal with factories, houses and other structures that encroach onto the highways, creating chaos and increasing the risk of accidents. Fundamentally, traffic is an issue of density: Its what happens when too many people try to squeeze through too small a space. Bangladesh is the 12th most densely populated nation on earth. To put the matter in perspective: Bangladesh is one-118th the size of Russia, but its population exceeds Russias by more than 25 million. During the Eid vacations, or prior to any festival or even a long weekend, the common headlines are : Dhaka-Aricha, Dhaka-Ctg highways in chaos, Stranded for hours on highways, Holidaymakers suffer in 13-km-long traffic jam on Dhaka-Chittagong highway, Tailback on Dhaka-Tangail Highway, Colossal traffic jam on Dhaka-Tangail highway, Huge traffic jam on Dhaka-Tangail highway, Gridlock on highways ahead of Eid. Lack of training, counseling and patience of drivers make the traffic even worse. Unhealthy competition between transportation companies is also another reason of traffic congestion. Illegal parking of cars, trucks and other vehicles also contribute to the jams. Faulty traffic signaling systems, inadequate manpower, narrow roads and the tendency of drivers to overtake rashly create traffic congestion. All these factors combined increase the suffering of commuters and create suffocating conditions on the streets. We all want a hassle free, risk free journey. Keeping present conditions in mind, I think that dreaming of a jam-free ride isnt a figment of the imagination. As a layman, I feel that we can improve traffic conditions by banning rickshaw-vans, three-wheelers and other slow-moving non-motorised vehicles from the highways, and by forcing drivers to respect traffic laws. The writer is Senior News Editor Independent TV, Email: [email protected]