Traffic jams are, without a doubt, one of the worst -- and most complex -- problems in our capital city, and are largely responsible for Dhaka being branded one of the least liveable cities in the world. It recent years, things have gotten so out of hand, that losing three to four hours on the road has become normalized.
Many have accepted our ghastly traffic as a part of life, and this is a pattern that needs to be broken with urgency. As such, it gives us a ray of hope to see the metro rail project finally undergoing the test phase, and it is wonderful to hear that it will probably be up and running within five months.
The true cost of traffic congestion is hard to estimate, with uncountable hours wasted on the road, and damage done to people’s health along with the economic costs which runs in the billions. The metro rail, we hope, will minimize some of this damage.
We need to be realistic: Bangladesh has a patchy track record when it comes to the completion of public projects, and this has eroded the confidence of the public. Too often, projects languish in the pipeline, or get tangled up in red tape.
In the case of the metro rail, we cannot repeat those patterns. The expectations from this project are massive, but so has been the vision and initiative poured into it. Bangladesh is at a cusp, and our urban landscape is transforming. It is time to make sure the transformations bring positive changes to people’s lives.
