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Traffic has eased in Dhaka on the second day of the five-day Eid-ul-Azha public holiday.
Even on the busiest roads in Kakrail, Malibagh, Mouchak, Rampura, Khilagaon, Paltan, Gulistan, and Bangla Motor areas there were few vehicles. The persistent rain since the morning has also largely kept people off the streets, reports bdnews24.com.
Dr Hafizur Rahman, who arrived at Islami Bank Hospital in Purana Paltan to see a patient, said, "I came here by rickshaw from Khilgaon in just 20 minutes. It is unthinkable. The streets of Dhaka are empty. There is no more waiting at traffic signals.”
"However, there is traffic congestion on the highways due to a high number of cars, public buses and motorcycles.”
There are more cars on the streets than other vehicles. Most public transport was largely empty of passengers.
Mokabbir Hossain, a car driver, said, "It took me only 22 minutes to arrive at Press Club intersection from Banani's Chairman Bari. There are no waiting times at the signals in Farmgate, Sonargaon, Kakrail, and Matsya Bhavan areas. Usually you have to wait for about 10 minutes at each of these intersections.”
CNG autorickshaw driver Hossain Ali said that the Mohakhali bus stand is crowded with passengers. "Many people are leaving Dhaka for the Eid holidays. I only managed one customer in two hours since this morning. A lot of the CNG-run autorickshaws are sitting idle on the streets.”
Rukhsana Khan, a student of Dhaka University’s chemistry department, provided her explanation for the empty streets.
“More people are leaving Dhaka this Eid due to the possibility of long-distance motorcycle travel. I think that about 150,000 left Dhaka on motorcycles. Otherwise, the public vehicles would have been really crowded by people heading home the day before Eid."