Dhaka, Nov 21 (bdnews24.com) – Dhaka city drivers will have to obey new automated traffic lights from Sunday, operating on an experimental basis at more than 50 junctions across the capital, or face strict penalties.

DMP has long been trying to improve the city's signal system and drivers' compliance to properly manage traffic, but they have failed so far.

More traffic lanes will also be introduced from December, Shyamal Mukharjee, DMP assistant commissioner (public relations) told bdnews24.com on Saturday.

Penalties will be strictly imposed for violating signal and lane rules, including fines and suspension of driving licenses, he said.

Mukharjee said there were lights at 59 junctions in Dhaka at present. "Of these, 9 out of 10 have been useless up to now, as drivers take no notice of them."

"This is about to change. Traffic in the capital will be strictly controlled by the new automated traffic lights from Nov 22-28," Mukharjee said.

"DMP will launch one huge publicity campaign to persuade people to obey the signals," he said.

He said a driver failing to comply with a signal will be fined Tk 1,000 and their driving license will be suspended for three months, he said.

Further steps would be determined, "if this fails to ease traffic gridlock," he said.

Otherwise, the new light signals and fines will be maintained.

'3-lane systems'

Some of the wider roads in the city will introduce three lanes of traffic, experimentally, from Dec 1-7, with fines to be effective subsequently, said Mukharjee.

He said vehicles of VIPs, private cars, microbuses and jeeps will drive along the furthest right lane.

Buses, trucks and covered vans in the middle lane, and auto-rickshaws, human haulers and tempos will use the left-most lane.

From Dec 8, violators will be fined Tk 1,000 and a three months ban on their license, he said.

Initially, special traffic police teams would be deployed at 12 points in the city to detect lane and signal violations. The number of teams will be increased after the experimental period.


Mukharjee said Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner AKM Shahidul Haque met with traffic police officials on Saturday to finalise all details. Earlier, on Nov 18, DMP discussed the issues at a meeting with transport owners.

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