Private cars comply, buses and pedestrians continue to ignore new law

The Airport-Bangabandhu Avenue Paribahan slowed down for a few seconds at the Paribagh intersection to let passengers jump on to it. A group of people made a dash for the still-moving bus as other vehicles wheezed past them. 

A young women took two steps forward and then rushed back to her spot again. She didn't have the courage to brave the speeding traffic to get on to the bus. 

All this was happening when the bus stop stood just 50 meters away.

"We are yet to enforce the new law, but private cars and motorcycle drivers have become far more compliant," says Md Forhad Hossain, a traffic police sergeant at the Dhanmondi zone.

"However, pedestrians and public buses are still ignoring the rules. Bus drivers pull over just about anywhere," he adds. 
 
The Road Transport Act 2018 came into effect on November 1. However, the government has been running an awareness campaign ever since to sensitize people on the streets to the law, before it comes into force. The campaign, after a week's extension, is set to end tomorrow, November 14. 

 The two weeks awareness campaign, however, appears to have had little impact on pedestrians, commuters and all other elements that constitute Dhaka's impossible traffic. 

Pedestrians regularly cross busy roads instead of using the foot overbridge, leaving traffic sergeants helpless.

On November 12, people were still crossing the streets carelessly in the capital's Mogbazar, Banglamotor, Farmgate and Shahbagh areas.
 
Sergeant Forhad said that they are trying to make the city commuters sensitive to the law before enforcing it. 

"But commuters have no respect for us and even misbehave with traffic policemen," he pointed out. 

Habibullah, a bus driver of Sadarghat-Gabtoli route's 8 Number bus service told the Business Standard that they are forced to stop "anywhere and everywhere" at the passenger's demand.
 
"They do not want to walk an extra meter and even open the shut doors of a moving bus to get down at their destinations," he added.
 
Shahidul Islam, a public transport commuter, disagreed and said that in most of the cases, the bus drivers pull over just about anywhere to gather more passengers.
 
"Helpers keep shouting out for passengers and they don't mind stopping the bus in the middle of the road," Shahidul said.
  
Mizan, another bus driver of Airport-Bangabandhu Avenue Paribahan, claimed that the number of bus stops in Dhaka is very limited. "The two city corporations should increase bus stoppages," he added.
 
Fazle Rabbi, a pharmacist who travels on the Dhaka-Gazipur Road six days a week, was waiting for a bus at Banglamotor intersection. Dhaka roads look different to him after the introduction of the Road Transport Act 2018.
 
"I didn't see many unfit buses plying the Dhaka-Gazipur Road after the first day of November," Fazle told the Business Standard.
 
But jaywalkers, who still ignore traffic signals and cross the roads mindlessly, trouble him.
 
"I see that many pedestrians are still violating rules and not using the foot overbridge or zebra crossing," Fazle said.
 
Shorolipi Roy, a university student, said that the number of foot overbridges in the capital is just not enough. "This is why we need to cross the roads riskily," she said in frustration.
 
Rumon Ahmed, a commuter from Mogbazar area, said: "The government banned cycle rickshaws from the major roads. But rickshaw pullers are still creating traffic congestions on the roads."
 
Ansar members were still allowing rickshaw pullers on to the main roads in exchange of bribes, at Banglamotor and Panthapath area.
 
Newton Das, assistant commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Gulshan traffic zone said that people are scared about the new law.
 
Newton also said that from next week they will start implementing the law and the state of the roads will change further.