Dhaka’s Airport Road is now a headache for regular commuters as terrible traffic jams paralyze it day and night almost every day.
Many people have failed to reach their destinations in the last couple of days, with long-haul travellers missing flights and trains due to miserable traffic conditions.
According to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), vehicles had to go slow at six points between Gazipur Chaurasta and Dhaka Airport, including the section in front of the RAB office at Uttara. This happened as the road went underwater due to incessant rains.
Additional Commissioner (Traffic) Md Munibur Rahman told Dhaka Tribune that the police were taking necessary steps to reduce the jam.
With the situation worsening day by day, the DMP traffic department has called an emergency meeting with stakeholders on Tuesday.
According to sources in the DMP traffic office, the unmanaged Dhaka Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project is behind the surging gridlock. Moreover, there are many potholes at various points, causing the vehicles to lose speed.
Shallow machines have been installed to remove rainwater from these pits. The authorities have also deployed an additional traffic police force and used hand mikes to control the traffic.
Meanwhile, BRT project officials said they were trying to open a part of the BRT flyover immediately so that the traffic situation would improve.
“We are working hard to solve the problem. The traffic jam will be reduced very soon," said Md Safiqul Islam, managing director of Dhaka Bus Rapid Transit Co Ltd.
Passengers suffer
Usually, it takes around two hours to travel between Gazipur and Mohakhali, and sometimes four hours. But on Sunday, it took 6-8 hours. Many passengers had to change their plans as the highway was almost stuck for many hours.
“I had an appointment with the doctor at Kurmitola Hospital at 10am. So, I started [from Gazipur] at 6:30am. But I was able to reach Uttara at 11am. So, I have now decided to return home as I didn’t know how much time I’d need to reach the hospital,” said Hamida Begum, a resident of Gazipur.
“Usually, a bus on the Gazipur-Dhaka route makes five trips a day. Due to the nagging traffic jams, we can hardly make four trips,” said Ariful Islam, a bus driver of Balaka Paribahan.
Mahibur Rahman, a Dubai-bound passenger from Naogaon, missed his flight on Sunday. He said: “I reached Abdullahpur at 7am, and my flight was at 9am. But I couldn’t reach the airport in time.”
Like him, at least 43 people missed their flights on Sunday, according to sources at various airlines.
Deputy Police Commissioner of Traffic Uttara Division Nabil Kamal Shaibal said: “We are working sincerely to ease congestion on Airport Road. Many potholes have developed on the road owing to the ongoing work of the BRT project. So we’ve called a stakeholder meeting to solve the problem immediately.”