PM Tarique orders automation of 120 Dhaka traffic signals, relocation of bus terminals to curb congestion

The government will bring 120 traffic signals in Dhaka under automation as part of a broader plan to modernise the city’s traffic management.

The announcement came following a meeting titled Alleviation of Traffic Congestion and Modernisation of Traffic Management in Dhaka City held at the Secretariat on Tuesday. 

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, who chaired the session, issued a 9-point directive to restructure the city’s gridlocked roads, said Additional Press Secretary Atiqur Rahman Rumon.

“The prime minister has instructed the relevant ministries to redesign Dhaka’s traffic system, making it modern and efficient. Today’s meeting concluded with several decisions on how to reduce congestion,” Rumon said.

Under the plan, traffic signals will be automated using domestic technology, with implementation phased across 120 signals. 

The government will also construct new bypass roads around the city and overpasses and underpasses within Dhaka to ease congestion.

All informal bus counters will be removed, and five inter-district bus terminals currently inside the city will be relocated to the outskirts, serving city services. 

Roadsides will be cleared of encroachments, and any electricity poles obstructing traffic will be removed.

Railway crossings inside the city will adopt automatic signal lighting alongside the current manual system, and city buses will be fitted with GPS tracking. 

Escalators will be installed on most footbridges, and lifts built using domestic technology will be added near hospitals.

The administrators of Dhaka’s two city corporations expressed optimism that the majority of these plans could be implemented by Apr 7, said Rumon. 

BNP lawmaker and labour leader Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas has been tasked with coordinating these efforts with transport owners and workers' associations.