Slow traffic, no jams: Quader

Traffic may be moving at a slow pace during this Eid season, but there are no traffic jams anywhere, according to road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader.

He said traffic movement was slow as fast-moving and slow-moving vehicles were moving together and many vehicles which did not use the highways regularly were now on the roads. He said road accidents were also an impediment.

He admitted that the slow movement of traffic caused public suffering.

The minister was speaking to journalists at 11:00 am Saturday morning after inspecting the Mahakhali bus terminal in the city. He also spoke to passengers who were waiting at the ticket counters. The passengers complained of inordinate delays in departure. Children suffered the most, they said.

The minister went on say, “Large numbers of people are going home for Eid. There are no problems along the Chittagong and Sylhet highways. The problems are being faced by the north-bound vehicles along the Dhaka-Tangail highway. Vehicle movement is slow from Elenga to the Kadda intersection on the other side of Bangabandhu Bridge. There are some slow-moving vehicles on the highway. Also, vehicles not generally used on the highway are being used during Eid. Their engines stall and accidents occur. Until these vehicles are removed from the accidents spots, traffic speed is impeded.”

Obaidul Quader said that this time the roads were not damaged. All the roads had been repaired.

About sufferings at the ferry terminals, the minister said rains and the river current have delayed ferry crossing. This has caused problems at the south-western ferry terminals, he said.