The government is bracing for a series of measures to ease the suffering of travellers during Eid-ul-Fitr holidays as a huge exodus from Dhaka is expected with the rapid fall in coronavirus cases. But the efforts appear to have failed to allay the fears of transport operators and passengers alike, reports bdnews24.com.
Road Transport Secretary Md Nazrul Islam said, "The authorities have taken "all necessary steps" to manage the traffic pressure.
"The transport owners had some recommendations. We've reviewed the recommendations to keep the traffic jams to a tolerable level with no deadlock."
Towards the north, the authorities are halting roadwork to allow buses to use under-construction flyovers or highways. To ease the load on the roads to the south, the number of ferries and piers has been increased. Ferries will be out of bounds for goods transportation during the rush.
The highways towards 16 northern districts are long and full of obstructions. The highway from Bangabandhu Bridge on the Jamuna river to Rangpur is being upgraded to a four-lane one. The roadwork has left parts of the highway inaccessible.
The authorities have opened three flyovers situated on the highway from Gazipur to Bangabandhu bridge before they are complete to ease the pressure. Road Transport and Highways Division said that roads at Kodda intersection, Panchalia Bazar, Hatikumrul intersection and Chandaikona have already been widened using bricks and soil with the Eid on the horizon.
Ahead of the Tangail Bridge, work on a six-lane road stretching 55 km from Gazipur's Chandra to Tangail's Elenga is complete.
However, there are no dividers on the two-lane stretch from Elenga to Bangabandhu Bridge. Consequently transports veer off to either side of the road on this road, which often triggers congestion going all the way to the toll plaza.
Khandaker Enayet Ullah, secretary-general of Bangladesh Road Transport Owners' Association, said: "The two flyovers opened at Tangail are very crucial. Proper management will keep the traffic tolerable there."
Earlier, passengers used to travel 120 km from Dhaka to Mymensingh in two hours. But the trip now takes five to six hours with the start of the Bus Rapid Transit or BRT project work. If the traffic is heavy before the weekend, it takes as much as up to nine hours. Passengers, transport owners and workers who have been suffering for years fear the same thing will happen this time as well. Secretary Nazrul said that the government expects the project to be completed by December.
Ramesh, the owner of Shyamoli Paribahan, added: "The road from Tongi to Mawna in Gazipur is in a very bad condition. We've asked the authorities to deploy more police personnel here so that at least it doesn't get deadlocked."
Bus owners said that there is no problem on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway, but transports picking or dropping passengers in the middle of the highway may create traffic jams.
Traffic congestion is also expected at the toll plaza on the Meghna Bridge. Drivers have been advised to keep the exact toll and stop asking for changes to facilitate quick clearance.
