Why home-goers suffered this year

Traffic mismanagement and disruption to ferry services were among the major reasons behind the sufferings of the home-goers, who remained stuck in tailbacks on highways for hours during the Eid rush.

Experts say the three four-lane highways from the capital to Chittagong, Sylhet and Mymensingh couldn't cope with the sharp rise in number of vehicles mainly because of poor management of the transport authorities. 

Sharing his experience, Abdul Haque, former board member of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, said he had to wait for around 40 minutes at the Meghna Bridge Toll Plaza for paying toll on the way to Comilla from the capital on September 14, the day after the Eid.

Traffic on the highway was as usual but mismanagement at the toll plaza resulted in miles-long tailbacks on the highway, he said.

Besides, local and inter-district buses abruptly stopped on the busy highway to pick up passengers, contributing to long tailbacks on the highway.   

“The highway police failed to check it, and the violators of traffic rules went unpunished,” he said.

Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, secretary general of Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh (PWAB), said the three highways were upgraded to four lanes from two lanes, but the number of private vehicles plying those also rose in recent times.

According to a PWAB estimate, some 70,000 private vehicles left the capital a day through these highways in the three days before the Eid whereas the number usually hovers around 20,000. 

The problem, however, lies with the drivers of private cars and vehicles running on the outskirts of the capital, as they don't have experience of driving on highways, he told The Daily Star.

The Dhaka-Chittagong highway has four lanes but the connecting bridges have only two lanes that are unable to handle an increased flow of traffic.

Referring to the Meghna, Gomti and Kanchpur bridges, he said thousands of vehicles remained stuck on both ends of the bridges during the Eid rush.

Moreover, ongoing construction of overpasses at level crossings, including those at Feni-Mohipal, Chouddagram in Comilla and Elenga on Dhaka-Tangail highway, narrowed down the roads, slowing down movement of vehicles there.

Mozammel also said some 80,000 cattle-laden trucks entered the capital from different districts before the Eid, adding to long tailbacks on the highways.

“We also saw unfit vehicles ply the highways, violating the traffic rules. Things got even worse, as many of those broke down and got stuck on the highways,” he said.

Talking to this correspondent, MAN Siddique, secretary at the Road Transport and Highways Division, said there were long tailbacks on Dhaka-Tangail highway and at Daulatdia-Paturia ghats.

He blamed it on disruption to ferry services on Daulatdia-Paturia route.

Asked about the two-lane Kanchpur, Meghna and Gomti bridges, Siddique said, “We are upgrading those bridges to four lanes and the work is expected to complete by 2018.”

Eid holidaymakers travelling to south and south-western districts suffered badly during the Eid rush, as ferry services were disrupted on Daulatdia-Paturia route due to strong current in the Padma.

River erosion and strong current frustrated the authorities' attempt to reinstall two landing stations at Daulatdia ferry ghat before the Eid vacation that began on September 9.

As the landing stations, which had been out of service for several months, could not be reinstalled before the Eid rush, many of the vehicles took Dhaka-Tangail road, resulting in long tailback on the two-lane highway.

The landing stations were put in operation a day before the Eid.

Mozammel said the authorities must see that the traffic rules are strictly enforced on highways. It would help ensure smooth vehicular movement on busy highways during the Eid rush.

He also suggested making stricter traffic rules.

Abdul Haque said toll plaza staffs have to be trained to efficiently deal with an increased flow of vehicles.

Besides, drivers need to be given proper training on how to drive on highways, he added.