Dhaka traffic worsens after accidents for a lack of heavy-duty wreckers

Highlights: 

• In the case of mishaps involving comparatively smaller vehicles, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) takes just 30 minutes to an hour at the maximum to restore traffic movement with its existing tow trucks, according to traffic officials.  
• But major accidents baffle the DMP traffic department as its wreckers lack the capacity to tow large vehicles away, creating gridlocks on nearby roads and gradually causing huge impacts across the busiest city in the country.
• In some cases, city traffic comes to a standstill for more than six hours even, forcing the DMP authorities to look for heavy-duty tow trucks at developers and construction companies.

Traffic in the capital city often comes to a standstill whenever road accidents occur involving large vehicles – buses, trucks and goods-laden covered vans – in the absence of a heavy-duty wrecker truck.

In the case of mishaps involving comparatively smaller vehicles, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) takes just 30 minutes to an hour at the maximum to restore traffic movement with its existing tow trucks, according to traffic officials.  

But major accidents baffle the DMP traffic department as its wreckers lack the capacity to tow large vehicles away, creating gridlocks on nearby roads and gradually causing huge impacts across the busiest city in the country.

In some cases, city traffic comes to a standstill for more than six hours even, forcing the DMP authorities to look for heavy-duty tow trucks at developers and construction companies.

On 9 February this year, a sand-laden truck overturned in front of the Dhaka airport's third terminal project around 9am, but the DMP's wreckers failed to remove the vehicle in the following three hours. 

Later, the sand was unloaded and the authorities called in a crane involved in a development project and finally restored traffic movement after around four hours. Even some expatriates were about to miss their flights due to the horrendous traffic jams on the day.

The situation took a turn for the worse on 18 May when an inter-district passenger bus and a covered van collided head-on at the BijoyShoroni intersection at midnight.

A DMP wrecker easily towed the bus away but could not rescue the overturned goods-laden covered van even within six hours of the accident. Finally, the road was cleared around 9.30am with the help of a crane from the metro rail project.

By this time, the traffic system across the city had collapsed, causing immense sufferings for tens of thousands of people.

Sheikh Muhammad Shamim, an additional deputy commissioner of DMP's Traffic Tejgaon Division, told The Business Standard that the DMP does not have a heavy-duty wrecker which can remove such overturned covered vans weighing more than 1,000kg.

"We tried to clear the road with our wreckers but could not. Finally, a crane involved with the metro rail construction made it possible," he added.

A traffic sergeant – currently posted with traffic police in a district and who had earlier worked with the DMP's traffic department – told TBS that the capacity of DMP's wreckers is less than those available in the districts.

"We can even haul away a heavy bus or covered van within 30 minutes but DMP needs to bring in cranes from elsewhere," he added.

Professor MdShamsulHoque of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and an urban transportation specialist, told TBS that as Dhaka is the busiest city in the country, its traffic authorities should have more modern and sustainable equipment for taking away vehicles involved in mishaps on the roads.

"If needed, they can share the modern instruments of the Fire Service and Civil Defence. If there are any issues of coordination, then National Emergency Service 999 can be a coordination hub," he added.

"When any accident occurs, 999 can respond immediately. The traffic department even gets help from the fire service department with its modern evacuating machinery. In Dhaka, if you are late even by 10 minutes in towing a vehicle away, the city will be in a mess," he added.

MdMiraz Hossain, a private service holder in the Banani area, told TBS that he used to go to his office via the Mohakhali-Airport road from Azimpur.

"All hell breaks loose for the entire day whenever an accident takes place and the traffic department cannot restore normalcy immediately. You cannot even imagine the pains common people go through on that day," he added.

MdMunibur Rahman, an additional commissioner of DMP's traffic department, told TBS that the city's traffic situation has already worsened due to several mega projects.

"DMP's traffic officials always try to make vehicular movement smooth and easier for city dwellers. We will solve the wrecker problem soon," he added.