Traffic woes at Savar ahead of Eid

Even though traffic jams are quite common in Savar, the most important gateway of the capital connecting 31 districts of the country, the area faces an acute traffic gridlock ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr. 

While visiting several spots in the area, this correspondent found that the Dhaka-Aricha highway, Bishmile bus stand, C&B bus stand, Radio Colony, Thana bus stoppage, CRP to New Market and Savar bus stand were clogged with severe traffic jams. The same scenario is witnessed in different spots of Chandra-Bipile Road and Abdullahpur-EPZ routes in Ashulia, including EPZ, Jamgora, Norsinghapur, Zirabo and Unik bus stop. 
As most readymade garments  factories of the Savar-Ashulia belt are located here, the areas are prone to traffic jam every day. 
Arbitrary parking, random u-turn of vehicles, flouting of traffic rules, illegal shops and markets on roadsides are blamed for traffic problems in this area, sources said.
At some bus stops, including C&B, Bishmile, Nabinagar and Zirabo, traffic jams take place mainly because of casual and carefree driving. Even the traffic police are sometime clueless about how to tackle the situation.
In Savar and Nabinagar bus stands, this correspondent saw illegal mobile shops on both sides of the road; there is hardly any space to park vehicles. People are forced to park their vehicles randomly, which creates traffic jams.
Besides, public bus drivers pick up passengers from anywhere on the roads, creating traffic tailbacks. Md Atiar Rahman, an on-duty traffic police at Savar bus stand, said: “Motorists don’t follow traffic rules and there are many mobile shops on both sides of the highway. It’s very difficult to control traffic here.”
“People also don’t bother about traffic rules and most of the time they don’t use footbridges to cross the road. This leads to traffic problems,” he added.  When contacted, Abul Hossain, traffic inspector of Dhaka district (North), told The Independent: “We face lot of trouble as people park their vehicles randomly in public places. We have shortage of manpower. So, we can’t deploy enough traffic sergeants at different places.”   Experts have stressed the need for a well-thought plan to tackle the problem. 
When contacted, Mizanur Rahman, assistant professor of the urban and regional planning department of Jahangirnagar University, said: “Traffic jams take place mainly due to unplanned highways. Most of the cities in our country have been built without any plan. Therefore, we are suffering a lot.” “A well-thought-out transport plan for Savar area is urgently needed. The implementation of traffic laws is also necessary,” he added.
Expressing concern, the JU professor said: “If an efficient and effective plan is not worked out immediately, Savar will suffer just like the Dhaka Metropolitan area.”

Traffic woes at Savar ahead of Eid

Even though traffic jams are quite common in Savar, the most important gateway of the capital connecting 31 districts of the country, the area faces an acute traffic gridlock ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr. While visiting several spots in the area, this correspondent found that the Dhaka-Aricha highway, Bishmile bus stand, CB bus stand, Radio Colony, Thana bus stoppage, CRP to New Market and Savar bus stand were clogged with severe traffic jams. The same scenario is witnessed in different spots of Chandra-Bipile Road and Abdullahpur-EPZ routes in Ashulia, including EPZ, Jamgora, Norsinghapur, Zirabo and Unik bus stop. As most readymade garments factories of the Savar-Ashulia belt are located here, the areas are prone to traffic jam every day. Arbitrary parking, random u-turn of vehicles, flouting of traffic rules, illegal shops and markets on roadsides are blamed for traffic problems in this area, sources said. At some bus stops, including CB, Bishmile, Nabinagar and Zirabo, traffic jams take place mainly because of casual and carefree driving. Even the traffic police are sometime clueless about how to tackle the situation. In Savar and Nabinagar bus stands, this correspondent saw illegal mobile shops on both sides of the road; there is hardly any space to park vehicles. People are forced to park their vehicles randomly, which creates traffic jams. Besides, public bus drivers pick up passengers from anywhere on the roads, creating traffic tailbacks. Md Atiar Rahman, an on-duty traffic police at Savar bus stand, said: Motorists dont follow traffic rules and there are many mobile shops on both sides of the highway. Its very difficult to control traffic here. People also dont bother about traffic rules and most of the time they dont use footbridges to cross the road. This leads to traffic problems, he added. When contacted, Abul Hossain, traffic inspector of Dhaka district (North), told The Independent: We face lot of trouble as people park their vehicles randomly in public places. We have shortage of manpower. So, we cant deploy enough traffic sergeants at different places. Experts have stressed the need for a well-thought plan to tackle the problem. When contacted, Mizanur Rahman, assistant professor of the urban and regional planning department of Jahangirnagar University, said: Traffic jams take place mainly due to unplanned highways. Most of the cities in our country have been built without any plan. Therefore, we are suffering a lot. A well-thought-out transport plan for Savar area is urgently needed. The implementation of traffic laws is also necessary, he added. Expressing concern, the JU professor said: If an efficient and effective plan is not worked out immediately, Savar will suffer just like the Dhaka Metropolitan area.