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Ensuring dedicated lanes for public transports through bus route rationalisation, enhancing their service standard, and preventing rickshaws and other small-sized vehicles from plying the major streets could help reduce traffic congestion in the capital.
A rights platform - Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh (PWAB) - came up with the suggestions in a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) on Sunday.
PWAB also presented a 12-point set of recommendations in the conference titled 'Public transport crisis is the main reason for Dhaka's terrible traffic congestion: Demand for city dwellers' relief'.
Speaking at the event, PWAB Secretary General Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury said the citizens of the capital have to remain stuck in terrible traffic jam due to frequent violations of the traffic rules and regulations.
Some 8.2 million working hours of people are wasted every day in Dhaka's gridlock, and according to a study of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), the financial loss due to the traffic jam is estimated at Tk 500 billion per year.
Due to unavailability of reliable public transports, the city commuters opt for small-sized and unsafe private vehicles, he added.
According to the PWAB estimation, currently 0.4 million pedal rickshaws, 0.6 million battery-powered rickshaws and easy-bikes, over 0.1 million ride-sharing vehicles, and 30,000 CNG-powered auto-rickshaws are plying across the city, creating additional burden on its streets.
The platform's recommendations included bus route rationalisation using modern vehicles, and banning motorcycle and other small-sized vehicles as well as preventing pedal rickshaws and easy-bikes from important roads.
PWAB also urged for clearing walkways, modernisation of traffic management system and digitalisation of traffic signals using smart technologies, preventing pick and drop of passengers everywhere, and obligate people to use zebra crossing, foot-over bridge and underpass for crossing roads.
Traffic management expert Kamrul Hasan, AB Party joint secretary general Asaduzzaman Fuad, and PWAB vice president Tawhidul Haque Liton were also present on the occasion.