Uttara leads surge in traffic law violations. Gulshan bucks the trend

Traffic law violations in Dhaka have skyrocketed by 28% in three years since 2021, with almost all areas experiencing a rise in cases.

Uttara zone leads the surge, with a staggering 147% increase in traffic violations. The only exception is Gulshan, the city's affluent neighbourhood, which has seen an 11% decrease in such cases.

The data comes from a Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Traffic Division analysis of the past three years. The city is divided into eight zones for traffic management—Gulshan, Mirpur, Tejgaon, Ramna, Lalbagh, Wari, and Motijheel.

Uttara tops the list, Gulshan shows improvement

Uttara saw a jump from 14,378 cases in 2021 to a whopping 35,555 in 2023. Motijheel followed with a 54% rise, while Tejgaon, Lalbagh, and Ramna also saw significant increases. Wari recorded the smallest increase at just 5%.

Uttara zone Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Kamaruzzaman explained that fewer cases occurred during the pandemic due to reduced movement. However, with rapid urbanisation in the area, there has been an increase in people's movement, resulting in a rise in the number of cases.

In Gulshan, the only area in the capital where traffic law violation cases have decreased, there were 34,430 cases filed in 2021. Two years later, in 2023, the number dropped to 30,790, marking an 11% decrease in this VIP area.

This area boasts the city's sole artificial intelligence (AI) signal system.

According to Gulshan zone Deputy Commissioner Abdul Momin, the presence of a large number of private vehicles and the community's awareness of traffic laws contribute to the decrease in violations. Moreover, ongoing efforts by traffic police to promote awareness also play a significant role.

However, a traffic police officer revealed that while reported cases have decreased, violations persist. Instances occur where recommendations from higher authorities lead to overlooked violations, indicating a discrepancy between reported cases and actual violations.

Tejgaon leads in cases, Motijheel lowest

In 2023, a total of 3,27,522 traffic law violation cases were filed in the capital city. Among them, Tejgaon had the highest number with 65,637 cases, followed by Mirpur with 49,902 cases, and Ramna with 42,340 cases.

The lowest number of violations was in Motijheel, with 29,626 cases. These cases resulted in the collection of fines totalling Tk72.07 crore.

According to DMP data, Tejgaon zone has consistently reported the highest number of traffic law violations over the past three years. This zone comprises three areas—Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Mohammadpur, and Tejgaon.

When questioned about this trend, Tejgaon zone Assistant Commissioner Snehasis Kumar Das attributed the variation in cases to the number of sergeants deployed. Areas with a higher number of sergeants typically experience more cases.

"Geographical location also plays a role. While Sher-e-Bangla Nagar sees fewer violations, Mohammadpur experiences more lawlessness due to a higher tendency among residents to break the law," he added.

According to the traffic law of the country, police enforce fines for various violations such as driving without a license, possessing a fake license, operating an unregistered vehicle, disregarding traffic signals, driving an unfit vehicle, speeding, illegal parking, driving on the wrong side of the road, making unauthorised U-turns, failure to wear a seat belt or helmet, using a phone while driving, and obstructing the road.

Jahangir Alam, additional deputy commissioner (Traffic Admin and Research), DMP, said that most cases in the city fall under Section 92 of the traffic law. For the first offence under this section, fines range from Tk1,000 to Tk3,000, with subsequent fines doubling.

Fine rates higher in Wari, lowest in Motijheel

DMP's analysis reveals that the Wari zone imposes the highest fine rate per case, averaging Tk2,328, followed by the Ramna and Gulshan zones at Tk2,296 and Tk2,243, respectively.

Conversely, the Motijheel zone exhibits the lowest fine rate per case, with an average of Tk1,970. Despite 29,626 cases filed in the Motijheel zone last year, totalling fines of Tk5.83 crore, the average fine per case remains comparatively lower.

Interestingly, areas with higher fine rates tend to have lower rates of traffic law violations, while areas with lower fine rates experience higher levels of lawlessness.

Wari zone Assistant Commissioner Md Kapil attributes this trend to the relationship between punishment and crime, emphasising efforts to enforce stricter traffic rules under the direction of the deputy commissioner.

Despite attempts, DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman could not be reached for further insights.