A prime minister stuck in traffic: PM Tarique's commoner style commute brings relief to ours
Bangladeshis have been accustomed to the disruption caused by high-level motorcades for decades. Entire roads were routinely closed when the president, prime minister or ministers travelled, forcing commuters to wait for hours until the convoy passed
On 11 March, around 9am, the traffic near Shahbagh Circle crawled forward amid the usual cacophony of horns as vehicles competed for space. For most commuters, waiting at a red light is routine. But among the vehicles halted in traffic was the motorcade of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
There were no sirens clearing the road, no mile-long convoy, and no police forcing motorists to the side. Instead, the Prime Minister's car simply waited for the light to turn green, inches away from other vehicles.
Moments like these, captured in several videos circulating on social media in late February and early March 2026, quickly went viral. Many viewers initially assumed the footage was staged. Yet it soon became clear that it was real: the prime minister of Bangladesh was indeed stuck in the same traffic as everyone else.
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For a country where VVIP movements have long meant blocked roads and paralysed traffic, Tarique Rahman, who was sworn in as prime minister on 17 February 2026 after returning from 17 years in exile in the UK, appears determined to change that culture.
Bangladeshis have been accustomed to the disruption caused by high-level motorcades for decades. Entire roads were routinely closed when the president, prime minister or ministers travelled, forcing commuters to wait for hours until the convoy passed.
"Previously, the PM's motorcades would have 13-14 vehicles; now it has been reduced to four," said Atikur Rahman Rumon, Additional Press Secretary to the Prime Minister. "The prime minister will use his own vehicle, driver and personally purchased fuel."
Waiting at the same signals
Videos shared online show PM Tarique's vehicle regularly stopping at traffic lights in areas such as Shahbagh and Karwan Bazar. In each instance, the convoy waits quietly until the signal changes.
Even when traffic police gesture for the motorcade to pass, the Prime Minister insists on following the signal.
Jamal Ahmed, a food delivery rider, recalls being caught in traffic when he noticed something unexpected beside him.
"I was cycling through the traffic," he recalled. "Then suddenly, I noticed the man in the vehicle next to me was none other than the Prime Minister, who was stuck in traffic with all of us. I was shocked and I gave him a salam, he smiled and waved back."
This approach means PM Tarique now experiences the same daily congestion that frustrates millions of commuters.
Although these changes may appear minor, they reflect a broader attempt to connect with ordinary citizens and are consistent with Tarique Rahman's electoral commitments, and the decision to keep a slightly lower level of personal security was made consciously to initiate a new political culture in the country, one that begins with change from the leader himself and signals the possibility of a new direction for Bangladesh.
For years, a common criticism was that political leaders governed from air-conditioned offices without understanding the daily struggles of ordinary people. PM Rahman's decision to sit in traffic alongside them challenges that perception.
CNG driver Mostak Sarder says the gesture has not gone unnoticed.
"We spend almost two to three hours daily in traffic," he said. "The PM and ministers are VVIP, they take protocol and have never had to suffer like this before, but now this is changing. Tarique Rahman is also sitting in traffic. This is a change that we needed."
And reports show that the prime minister's experience in traffic has already influenced discussions inside the government; he has raised the issue during meetings, stressing that Dhaka's traffic situation needs urgent attention.
Leading by example
Officials close to the prime minister say the shift is deliberate.
A member of the BNP's security body CSF, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the balancing act between security and accessibility.
"It is our first and foremost duty to protect the PM. But at the same time, the PM wants to be accessible and be with the people… we have to stop at two to three traffic signals every time, so we have to stay alert the whole time," the officer added.
The discipline appears to extend beyond symbolism.
Since 18 February, Tarique Rahman has been regularly arriving at the Secretariat on time and monitoring whether ministers, state ministers and senior officials maintain office hours. Cabinet members have reportedly been reminded about punctuality, and attendance records have been reviewed.
In one move aimed at reducing traffic congestion, Tarique Rahman has also shifted cabinet meetings from the Prime Minister's Office to the Secretariat so that ministers do not have to travel across the city.
These gestures are part of a broader political message.
This is forcing other officials, like ministers and MPs, to follow in his footsteps. Even the president's motorcade was seen stopped at a red light on 25 February 2026.
Saimum Parvez, Special Assistant to the BNP Chairman's Foreign Advisory Committee, said, "Meaningful change must begin with leadership setting an example."
According to him, it is encouraging that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is personally demonstrating this shift through several small but symbolic changes.
"By reducing the size of his motorcade and relaxing certain security privileges, the prime minister is signalling a desire to move away from the culture of distance that has long existed between political leaders and the public."
Saimum also noted, "Although these changes may appear minor, they reflect a broader attempt to connect with ordinary citizens and are consistent with Tarique Rahman's electoral commitments, and the decision to keep a slightly lower level of personal security was made consciously to initiate a new political culture in the country, one that begins with change from the leader himself and signals the possibility of a new direction for Bangladesh."
How do other heads of government travel?
In neighbouring India and Pakistan, the motorcades of the prime ministers are heavily secured and typically consist of more than 10 vehicles.
In India, the convoy usually includes around 12–15 vehicles, with the prime minister traveling in an armoured vehicle, supported by backup armoured cars, identical decoy vehicles, Special Protection Group (SPG) escort SUVs, a jammer vehicle, police cars, and an ambulance.
And in Pakistan, the prime minister's motorcade generally includes about 10–14 vehicles, featuring an armoured primary vehicle, additional armoured and decoy cars, tactical escort pickups, signal-jamming and bomb-disposal vehicles, police pilot cars, and a dedicated ambulance accompanying the convoy.
However, in several Western democracies, prime ministerial motorcades are relatively small. In the UK, the convoy usually consists of about five vehicles, including a heavily armoured car for the prime minister, identical decoy vehicles, escort SUVs, support vehicles with security officers, and armed motorcycle outriders from the Metropolitan Police Special Escort Group.
In contrast, former Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte often travelled by bicycle with one or two plainclothes security officers, and when using a car, the convoy typically had just one armoured vehicle and sometimes a single unmarked security car.
Similarly, Denmark and Norway maintain very small convoys of about two vehicles, an armoured car for the prime minister and one security escort, while New Zealand's prime minister usually travels with a modest motorcade of two to three vehicles, including an armoured car and one or two police escort vehicles.
Discipline and national productivity
The symbolism of a prime minister at a red light also touches on a deeper problem: Bangladesh's chronic lack of discipline in governance.
Dhaka's traffic congestion alone carries enormous economic costs. According to research done in 2022 by the Accident Research Institute at BUET, traffic jams cost the economy an estimated $6.5 billion annually in lost productivity, fuel wastage and health expenses, indirectly reducing the country's GDP by 6% to 10% every year.
For many, Tarique Rahman's personal discipline is meant to signal a broader shift in governance culture.
Bangladesh has long struggled with delayed projects, bureaucratic inefficiencies and corruption — issues that undermine both productivity and investor confidence. Bringing punctuality and accountability to government institutions could therefore have far-reaching effects.
Citizens have welcomed the change, but many are watching carefully to see if it becomes a lasting norm or fades with time.
For the moment, though, the symbolism is powerful: a prime minister sitting in traffic alongside the people he governs.
