How to walk in Dhaka – you can’t!
It has been three years since I moved to Dhaka. The shift to the big city was fun at first. But within a month, I got tired of it.
Starting from March 2022, my daily routine involves going to and coming from the office by rickshaw. Monotony aside, the worst part about my daily commute is that it happens across the roads of Dhaka.
Of course, it would have been somewhat bearable, exciting even, if I had to take different routes now and then. But I use the same 2 to 3 routes, which, over the course of these three years, have managed to turn into a death trap.
Except for a few places, the roads in this city are in dire need of maintenance. Whether it’s the Mirpur Road or the alleys that connect other roads to the Mirpur Road, all of them are in a terrible shape.
I have been travelling by rickshaw over these roads almost daily for more than 3 years now, and my back and butt curse me every time I leave for the office and return home.
Walking is an option, as my office is only 2 kilometers away. But where can I walk? This metropolitan slum is not meant for walking, at least not anymore.
Most roads don’t have footpaths on their sides. When there are footpaths, they are either unusable or occupied. City roads are not safe for walking anyway, what with the fast-moving vehicles, but even on an empty road, you can’t walk without worrying about breaking your neck.
All these problems can be dealt with very easily with a car. When you ride a car, you don’t have to worry about bad roads, traffic jams, heat, rain, or air pollution. You are safe from all the perils that most of the city’s dwellers experience daily.
The cars themselves are an issue, no doubt. But the bigger issue is how the city deals with them.
It won’t be too far-fetched to say that this city is built for cars. Because so far, I’ve seen a lot of regulations for rickshaws, even for buses, but none for cars. They can go anywhere as long as they fit the width of the road. The regulations for rickshaws force you to take longer routes, get off at least 500 meters away from your destination, and/or pay higher fares.
It doesn’t matter when two cars are coming from opposite directions and block a narrow road for hours. You can’t even walk through there, because there’s simply no space left. And god forbid, you even touch a car, the driver/owner wouldn’t wait a millisecond to slap you.
Then there are the bikes. They always want priority, and so they will shove their anteriors into a space through which one could barely walk.
It’s almost as if this city isn’t meant for those who can’t afford a car/bike or use ride-sharing apps for cars/bikes.
Now, this is all considering it’s a sunny, dry day. All hell breaks loose when it rains here. There is at least one manhole cover every 30 feet, but I have seen water coming out of it and pouring over the roads more often than I’ve seen water going down them.
On a day of heavy rainfall, Dhaka roads are the last place you want to be. It’s muddy, water-logged, and every third manhole is missing a cover. Not to mention the spike in ride fares and unbearable traffic. So, walking is definitely not an option. And if you want to take the metro, you would still need to cover at least some distance to go to the station.
The people in this city, whether long-term residents or those who recently moved here, seemed to have accepted their fates. They focus on getting to work on time and managing to return home somehow afterwards.
I came to this city seeking opportunities, as did so many others. We get ready every morning, get on a bus/rickshaw/metro, take a deep sigh, and wait till we enter our air-conditioned offices, only to leave, heaving another sigh. Commuting in Dhaka is simply that bad.
This is all still a part of a bigger reality. I have the option to use ride-sharing services, if I want to. But a huge number of people can only afford a public bus, which in itself is a death trap.
Maybe one day I will be able to ignore the “din and bustle” of this life I’ve chosen for myself. But in these 3 years, I’ve realised one thing – if you want to live, don’t come to Dhaka.