Publish : 13 Jan 2022, 10:06 AMUpdate : 13 Jan 2022, 10:06 AM
The incessant traffic rule violations carried out by public buses in Dhaka and the relevant authorities’ inability to solve the myriad related problems have given rise to what can only be described as a chaotic situation.
Data from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) reveals that a quarter of buses operating in Dhaka routinely disregard and violate traffic rules. Issues with these errant buses include route permit and fitness certificate violations, as well as overcharging passengers.
The situation is so absurd that BRTA, having identified the offending vehicles, decided it cannot cancel the route permit of these buses as it would result in an even greater shortage of public transport in Dhaka, which currently barely caters to its 20 million residents.
Needless to say, the relevant authorities must find a solution.
While it may be a sinuous route to the ultimate solution, what the authorities can do right away is remove all the comically ridiculous bureaucracies obstructing ways to rudimentary remedies.
Take for example the reason why measures against 256 repeat offending buses -- designed as a token response in the first place as actually penalizing all offenses would result in a crisis -- could not be implemented. Action against these buses has to be taken by The Dhaka Metro Regional Transport Committee (Dhaka RTC), for which it needs to formally approve the decision in a meeting.
The Dhaka RTC hasn’t been able to take this decision because it could not convene a meeting, as another body -- the Bus Route Rationalization Committee (BRRC) -- requires the RTC to take prior approval from the BRRC to hold formal meetings.
Modernizing Dhaka’s public bus system will need a lot of work, and there is no doubt that a lot has to be done even within the existing framework. All that needs to be done by the authorities, for now, is the bare minimum.
Failing that, nothing is going to change and the public will continue to suffer.
The bare minimum required
Modernizing Dhaka’s public bus system will need a lot of work, and there is no doubt that a lot has to be done even within the existing framework
The incessant traffic rule violations carried out by public buses in Dhaka and the relevant authorities’ inability to solve the myriad related problems have given rise to what can only be described as a chaotic situation.
Data from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) reveals that a quarter of buses operating in Dhaka routinely disregard and violate traffic rules. Issues with these errant buses include route permit and fitness certificate violations, as well as overcharging passengers.
The situation is so absurd that BRTA, having identified the offending vehicles, decided it cannot cancel the route permit of these buses as it would result in an even greater shortage of public transport in Dhaka, which currently barely caters to its 20 million residents.
Needless to say, the relevant authorities must find a solution.
While it may be a sinuous route to the ultimate solution, what the authorities can do right away is remove all the comically ridiculous bureaucracies obstructing ways to rudimentary remedies.
Take for example the reason why measures against 256 repeat offending buses -- designed as a token response in the first place as actually penalizing all offenses would result in a crisis -- could not be implemented. Action against these buses has to be taken by The Dhaka Metro Regional Transport Committee (Dhaka RTC), for which it needs to formally approve the decision in a meeting.
The Dhaka RTC hasn’t been able to take this decision because it could not convene a meeting, as another body -- the Bus Route Rationalization Committee (BRRC) -- requires the RTC to take prior approval from the BRRC to hold formal meetings.
Modernizing Dhaka’s public bus system will need a lot of work, and there is no doubt that a lot has to be done even within the existing framework. All that needs to be done by the authorities, for now, is the bare minimum.
Failing that, nothing is going to change and the public will continue to suffer.
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