Eid travel begins, risks at 94 spots; fears of suffering due to rain and accidents

The journey of home-bound people for Eid celebrations started yesterday, Saturday. However, the main rush is still pending. Railway and transportation sector officials say the main crowd will occur from Monday to Wednesday. On one hand, people will be rushing home from Dhaka, while sacrificial animals will be arriving on the way to Dhaka.

This time, the condition of the country's roads and highways can be said to be relatively good. However, due to development projects, there is a risk of congestion on the Dhaka–Sylhet and Dhaka–Northern Bangladesh routes. Highway police have already identified 94 locations on highways where congestion may occur.

These include toll plazas of major bridges, intersections, and important industrial and market areas. The experts believe that the management will determine whether there will be discomfort in the last three days of Eid travel.

Researchers from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology have shown that 12 million to 15 million people leave Dhaka in the 3-4 days before Eid. Especially during Eid-ul-Azha, the most people leave Dhaka. On average, 3. 5 million people will leave Dhaka daily.

However, the transportation system, including buses, trains, and motorcycles, can accommodate 2. 2 million people. To meet the demand of the rest, unsuitable vehicles hit the road.

This year's Eid-ul-Azha holiday is seven days long. The holiday will be from 25 to 31 May. In previous Eids, long holidays were given, which yielded some success. However, the pressure of the last two to three days remains.

Every year, the highway police identify potential congestion areas during Eid. This year, 94 congestion-prone areas have been identified by the central office of the highway police and the Gazipur region. These areas fall on the main seven highways, which connect almost all divisions and districts.

A preparatory meeting for Eid was held on 5 May, chaired by the Minister of Road, Railways, and Shipping, Sheikh Rabiul Alam, at the Secretariat. Detailed discussions were made about these 94 congestion-prone areas and the necessary actions to be taken were discussed. In addition, the government’s law enforcement agencies and other relevant departments have been directed to take necessary measures.

According to the highway police list, the most congestion-prone highways are Dhaka–Northern Bangladesh, Dhaka–Chittagong, and Dhaka–Sylhet highways. Among these highways, there are 25 congestion-prone areas on the northern route, 25 on the Chittagong route, and 21 on the Sylhet route.

The western end of the Chandra flyover on the highway connecting Dhaka through Tangail to the north is shown to be very risky. The four-lane work on this route is almost in the final stages. However, some subways and flyovers still have some work remaining. The highway police anticipate congestion in these areas.

Additionally, there are many garment factories between Dhaka and Tangail. In many places, dividers on the highway have been cut to facilitate crossing, which also poses a risk of congestion. Bus stops and markets alongside the highways are also advised to be monitored.

A project to upgrade the Dhaka–Sylhet highway to four lanes is underway. The Ashuganj Circle and Bishwaroad intersection troubled passengers during the last two Eids. This time, these two spots have potholes. There’s also mismanagement. Besides, there are concerns about congestion in many parts of Narayanganj and Narsingdi’s industrial areas.

Congestion often occurs at the toll plaza of the Meghna–Gomti Bridge on the Dhaka–Chittagong highway. Concerns about the bridge’s toll plaza have also been expressed this Eid. In addition, the marketplaces of Madhaiya, Chandina, and Nimsar in Comilla are right beside the highway, where highway police have also noted potential congestion. The Dhaka–Barishal route is in good condition. However, there are concerns over congestion at the Mostafapur bus stand in Madaripur.

The three major routes out of Dhaka are Gabtali–Savar, Uttara–Abdullahpur, and Mayor Hanif flyover road. In Eid ul-Azha, there are obstacles on these three routes. Vehicles use the toll plaza of the Mayor Hanif flyover to travel on the Dhaka–Sylhet, Dhaka–Chittagong, and Dhaka–Mawa routes. During the past few Eids, long queues have formed at this flyover's toll payment point, and this concern remains present now.

Vehicles run through Uttara to Mymensingh and Northern Bangladesh. This path is a long-standing suffer due to the BRT project between Airport–Gazipur. Additionally, congestion is resulting now because of the construction of the Dhaka–Ashulia flyover. Comparatively, the route to the north and southwest via Gabtali is much smoother. However, traffic could increase due to Gabtali's cattle market, and buses stopping at Savar’s Hemayetpur to pick up or drop off passengers.

Last Friday, several places on the Dhaka–Aricha highway and Nabinagar to Chandra highway were visited, where it was seen that unauthorised battery-powered rickshaws were running recklessly on the highways in areas like Hemayetpur, Baliarpur, Pakiza Point in Savar, Thana Stand, Savar market, Nabinagar, and areas from Nabinagar to Bipail, Palli Bidyut, and Bolibhadra. At Savar, Nabinagar, Radio Colony, and Bipail bus stands, passenger buses were seen stopping in a way that blocked the buses while allowing passenger boarding and alighting. Apart from the designated bus stand areas, buses were seen stopping haphazardly anywhere to board and alight passengers.

Shamim, a driver of Asad Paribahan traveling from Rangpur to Dhaka, said that currently, there aren’t many issues on the roads. However, issues may arise before Eid. He believes that if the police perform their duties properly on the roads, problems will be reduced.

Dhaka District (North) Traffic Police Inspector (Administration) Ruhul Amin Sohel told Prothom Alo that to ensure smooth Eid travel on the highways, from eight o''clock the next morning (from today, Sunday), an additional 650 police officers from the Dhaka District Police, alongside regular traffic police, will be deployed.

Traffic congestion centered on the Circle area at Vishwaroad intersection in Sarail, Brahmanbaria on the Dhaka–Sylhet highway is a daily occurrence. The ongoing development work has made the Circle area narrower, and unauthorized stands for CNG-run autorickshaws are causing the situation. Traffic has congested due to the increased pressure of vehicles on the 34 km section of the highway ahead of Eid.

Yesterday evening at around 6: 30 PM, Highway Police Superintendent of Police (SP) of Sylhet region, Md Rezaul Karim could be seen stationed at the Vishwaroad intersection circle. He is attempting to keep traffic regular on the highway. However, today, CNG-run autorickshaws and other unauthorized vehicles were seen violating regulations on the highway.

The government has taken several initiatives to ensure smooth Eid travel. Among them, measures have been taken to maintain law and order, control traffic congestion, and ensure the smooth travel of the public, with BGB deployed in and around Dhaka.

Recently, BGB stated that its members would perform duties seven days before and three days after Eid, following government instructions. They will assist in mobile court operations run by executive magistrates in important toll plazas, highways, and congestion-prone areas to maintain overall law and order.

Nineteen executive magistrates from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) are conducting mobile courts. Their monitoring teams are also supervising bus terminals in the capital.

The Roads and Highways Department and the Bridges Division have launched a toll collection system on 12 important bridges using Visa and Mastercard. There will be machines at the toll plazas, where cards can be tapped for quick crossing.

Sources associated with the Ministry of Road Transport and transport businesses state that if it rains before Eid, congestion could increase. The reason is that development work on many highways has not been completed. Rain also slows down the speed of vehicles. Another issue is unsuitable buses coming out during Eid. In Eid al-Adha, unsuitable trucks also come out, which on the return journey, carry passengers. Congestion risks will increase if there are failures in management related to these issues.

Prof. Md Hadiuzzaman, a transport expert at the Department of Civil Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), told Prothom Alo that although four-lane-wide roads have been built, the capability has not increased. Mismanagement also exists. During Eid, government organisations make efforts to keep traffic regular; however, any accidents, rain, or other issues render these efforts ineffective, leaving the possibility of inconvenience.

[Staff correspondents, Savar, Dhaka, and correspondents, Sarail, Brahmanbaria have assisted in filing this report]