Only a few years back, traffic congestion was rarely seen on roads of Sylhet city, but now it has become common phenomenon.
City dwellers said they could hardly reach their destinations on time because of severe traffic jam.
Most traffic-clogged areas in the city are: Kean bridge, Zindabazar, Bondarbazar, Lamabazar, Mendibagh, Dargahgate, Amberkhana, Chouhatta, Mirabazar, Shibganj, Sylhet Railway station, Kotomtoli and Kumargaon bus stand areas, according to townspeople.
Nurun Nahar, a resident of Lamabazar area, said sometimes people were compelled to walk on roads as makeshift shops put up by hawkers along footpaths have grabbed a portion of walkways which also contributing to traffic congestion.
“Moreover, pedestrians also face road accidents while walking on main roads,” she said.
She demanded the authorities clear the footpaths ensuring safe movement at zebra crossings and footbridges and underpasses so that the pedestrians can move safely.
Lack of trafficking knowledge, narrow road and encroachment of footpaths are the main reason behind the traffic congestion, said sources at Sylhet Metropolitan Police.
The sources which preferred to be unnamed told the Dhaka Tribune that thousands of people from adjacent upazilas and other parts of the district came to the city area for various purposes every day. Entrance of additional people from outskirts of the city with a good number of vehicles during office hours contributed to the city’s traffic jam.
Mominul Islam Momin, a city dweller, said: “I get late at my office everyday due to traffic congestion.”
Housewife Afsana Begum, who was returning home after shopping from Zindabazar on Monday, said: “After ending shopping, we cannot get any rickshaw or battery-run easy-bike on road. Drivers disagree to carry the passengers. Even if we manage to get a rickshaw or easy-bike, we have to spend extra money to travel the distance due to severe traffic jam.”
City dwellers alleged that drivers parked vehicles on roads. Besides, haphazard parking of rickshaws and battery-run easy-bikes by the side of markets, shopping centres, educational institutions and key installations are narrowing the space of city streets, hampering smooth traffic movement.
According to Sylhet City Corporation, they have taken initiatives to ease traffic congestion of the city. In this regard, they have appointed private security and make a new lane in Bondor area for rickshaws.
“But, drivers are not habituated to use the lane. All the makeshift shops on the roads would be removed soon,” the sources said.
Md Rahmat Ullah, additional deputy commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police, said: “Traffic jam creates as drivers of three-wheelers and rickshaw pullers are mostly illiterate and they are reluctant to obey traffic rules.”
The also informed the Dhaka Tribune that they had taken extra measures to ease traffic jam in the city.
Chairperson of SHUJON Sylhet unit Faruk Mahmud Chowdhury said more than one lakh people and regular office-going passengers are suffering for lack of vehicles as well as traffic congestion, he said, adding that battery-run easy-bikes are intensifying traffic congestion in the city.