Homebound passengers experienced relatively smooth travel on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway and in the northern region on the second day of the government holiday yesterday.
However, in the morning, slow-moving traffic and sporadic tailbacks were reported on both the Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Tangail highways as thousands of travellers left the capital to celebrate Eid with their families, reports UNB.
Commuters faced difficulties at Chandra Trimor, Safipur, Board Bazar, Bhogra and Chandana Chowrasta areas, where heavy vehicular pressure significantly slowed traffic movement.
A long queue of northbound vehicles stretching several kilometres was seen around Chandra Trimor.
Vehicles also moved intermittently along the Safipur-Chandra flyover section and the Chandra-Nabinagar road due to congestion.
Drivers and passengers said traffic congestion was further aggravated by passengers boarding and disembarking on highways and by irregular parking at busy points.
“We had to wait for a long time to get a bus, and the fare was much higher than usual,” said a passenger at Chandana Chowrasta.
SM Ashraful Islam, deputy commissioner (Traffic) of the Gazipur Metropolitan Police, said they were closely monitoring the situation.
“Wreckers have also been kept ready to quickly remove stalled vehicles from the roads to prevent prolonged congestion,” he said.
Since early Tuesday, long-route buses, trucks, microbuses and other vehicles have been moving steadily through Sirajganj, known as the main gateway to the northern region.
However, unlike previous years, no major traffic congestion was seen on the highways, bringing relief to passengers and drivers.
Several homebound passengers travelling through the Jamuna Bridge route said the journey had been smooth and comfortable this year, without the long traffic jams seen previously.
Officer-in-Charge of Jamuna Bridge West Police Station Amirul Islam and Hatikumrul Highway Police Station OC Ismail Hossain said all necessary measures had been taken to ensure safe, smooth and comfortable Eid travel.
Eid homebound passengers also experienced relatively smoother travel on a 105-kilometre stretch of the Dhaka–Chattogram highway in Cumilla.
However, passengers said reaching destinations still took longer than usual due to heavy traffic pressure on certain sections.
At around 12:00pm, traffic movement remained largely normal from Meghna-Gomti Bridge toll plaza in Daudkandi to Padua in Chauddagram upazila.
Despite the overall smooth flow, movement was intermittently disrupted at several points, including Gouripur, Madhaiya, Chandina, Cantonment area, Alekharchar, Padua Bazar, Mia Bazar and Chauddagram, as vehicles frequently picked up and dropped off passengers on the roadside, causing minor congestion.
Both passengers and drivers said the journey was comparatively better than expected, though delays persisted in some sections due to increased Eid travel pressure and roadside stoppages.
