Traffic jam eats up time of Pabna townspeople

Traffic congestion has turned into a perennial problem in Pabna town, wasting valuable time of the commuters and also negatively impacting the economy and environment.

District's residents find themselves ensnared in traffic snarl-up almost all day on the main road of the town.

Behind the traffic mess, which has escalated to an intolerable level in recent time, are responsible illegal occupation of sidewalks and construction of multistory buildings in an unplanned way.

Occupation of sidewalks has shrunk space for both pedestrian and vehicular movement creating traffic disorder. When emergency vehicles like ambulances move, other cars are unable to give way, often causing difficulties. Currently, about 2,20,088 people live in the town and the total population of the entire Pabna district is 2,176,270.

Another big reason for traffic congestion is unplanned multi-storey market buildings constructed on both sides of the road.

Most of the big markets in the town do not have their own parking facilities. As a result, vehicles are parked here and there on the roads, leading to traffic messes.

There are renowned educational institutions around the town -Pabna Government Edward College, Government Shaheed Bulbul College, Pabna College, Government Girls' High School, Zilla School, RM Academy School, Selim Nazir High School, Collectorate Model School, Public Collectorate School and College, Police Lines School, Central Girls' High School, Town Girls' High School and many other educational institutions and various government and private offices and courts.

Also located near the town are Pabna Science and Technology University, Pabna Medical College, Mental Hospital and 250-bed Pabna General Hospital. Students and people commuting to and from these educational institutions and hospitals have to travel through the district town every day amid immense difficulty for the traffic chaos.

Traffic jam often inevitably occurs due to uncontrolled plying of an additional number of auto-rickshaws, rickshaw vans and mixed vehicles on the narrow roads.

According to conscious citizens, it should have been made mandatory to have parking facilities during construction of markets and residential buildings.

Environmentalists and social organisers based on an assumption said there are 100 shops in a multi-storey market building on a average. Traffic jam persists from Thana Mor to Tarash Bhaban (Roy Bahadur Gate) in the town. Especially during the holidays of educational institutions, traffic police have to struggle. Traffic jams take a terrible form during major religious festivals like Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Azha, Durga Puja.

Conscious circles believe that the lack of training among auto drivers is also increasing this problem.

Cultural figures, organisers and journalists said sidewalk encroachment, self-centered attitude of drivers, uncontrolled overtaking, arbitrary parking of cars and taking U-turns here and there are the main reasons for traffic jams.

Khandaker Golam Hasnain Koel, president of the Pabna district unit of the Nirapad Sarak Chai (NISCHA), said, "Sidewalk encroachment and unplanned construction of multi-storey buildings are the main reasons for traffic jams. This situation will continue if each market does not ensure its own parking system. If the municipality had made parking spaces mandatory in the building plan when it approved the multi-storey building, then this problem would not have arisen."

He added, "We provide training on traffic awareness to auto and rickshaw drivers. Through PTI, we have trained teachers of various educational institutions on traffic laws so that they can spread awareness among students."

Meanwhile, the district administration is continuing its regular campaign against sidewalk encroachment in the town to resolve traffic jam, but it is not doing much. It is worth noting that the proposal to upgrade the approximately 7-kilometre road from Pabna Bus Terminal to Gachpara via Abdul Hamid Road in the town to four-lane has been approved.

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