Staff Reporter:
The road stretching from Mouchak to Notun Bazar, one of the capital’s busiest and most important corridors, has turned into a nightmare for commuters due to severe traffic congestion, poor road management and unchecked disorder.
As the only major route used by trucks and heavy vehicles entering Dhaka, the road’s deteriorating condition has pushed public suffering to alarming levels. Commuters say it now takes two to three hours to travel just a few kilometres along the route.
Passengers complained that the persistent traffic gridlock is not only wasting working hours but also increasing mental stress and physical exhaustion.
Illegal occupation of roadsides by hawkers, ineffective loop structures in Merul and rampant traffic rule violations by bus drivers have been identified as major causes of the chaos.
At around 12:36pm on Wednesday, an ambulance remained stranded in heavy traffic near the Notun Bazar area. Upon closer inspection, a bus belonging to Raida Paribahan was seen blocking another bus of the same company by parking diagonally in the middle of the road while picking up passengers.
The reckless competition between the two buses created severe congestion, leaving vehicles stuck for nearly half a kilometre behind, including the ambulance.
When asked about such irresponsible driving practices, Raida Paribahan driver Russell Mia replied with visible irritation: “We are used to driving like this.”
Scenes like this have become common for years along the entire stretch from Mouchak through Malibagh, Rampura, Badda and North Badda to Notun Bazar.
Traffic congestion now persists almost round the clock on both sides of the road. The situation becomes particularly unbearable during office hours, while gridlock often continues until as late as 2:00am.
Urban planner Prof Dr Adil Muhammad Khan said the city’s road management system has virtually collapsed.
“Footpaths in most areas are occupied by hawkers. Public transport vehicles pick up and drop off passengers wherever they want. While flyovers and loops were constructed, the roads underneath them were left in poor condition,” he said.
He added that people’s emotional resilience gradually weakens in such a stressful urban environment.
“This city is becoming a city of the dead. In such a challenging city, people slowly lose their human sensitivity,” he observed.
Senior lecturer of National Bank School and College Sneha Rozario said a journey from Mouchak to her residence in Rampura, which should take only 10 minutes, now takes around 40 minutes every day.
She said students of nearby schools and colleges are among the worst sufferers due to the prolonged congestion.
