DPUJ members believe that if the plan goes ahead, it will further distort the residential character of the area.

The Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED) recently gave a graphic presentation of the Tk. 2.2 crore bridge to the Dhanmondi Walkers Club but the Jote believes it will be a sheer waste of government funds.

In a meeting presided over by the Dhaka Urban Transport Project (DUTP) executive director Qamrul Islam Siddique (DUTP), DUPJ representatives said that recent lake development projects in Dhanmondi have only worsened the lives of residents. They claimed that it had become easier for outside traffic to crowd Dhanmondi for various reasons including business, schooling, medical facilities etc.

Several members at the meeting questioned the planning behind the bridge on Road 4. They said that while a bridge had been considered for Road 5 during the rule of the previous government, nothing was ever said about bridging Roads 3A and 4. The proposed bridge on Road 5, which would have been the third bridge on the Lake in addition to the ones on Roads 32 and 8, eventually did not see light following strong community opposition to it.

The participants also thought that instead of reducing traffic congestion, the proposed bridge would only redistribute it from Road 2 to Road 4. In the process, Road 4 will be transformed into another nightmarish commercial street like Roads 2 and 27. They felt the new bridge could also contribute to more illegal commercialisation of Dhanmondi.

Sultana Alam, the convenor of DUPJ said, " The bridge will not help in any way to resolve the real traffic blockages in our area. These occur on Sat Masjid Road side near the Jhigatola & Rayer Bazar intersections. On the Mirpur Road side, there is a permanent jam at the Science Laboratory crossing, which is the only route to the eastern parts of the city from Dhanmondi, Rayer Bazar, Jhigatola, Kathalbagan etc."

The participants observed that regardless of the direction of the traffic, the bridge would only make it easier for undesired elements from Jhigathola and Rayer Bazar to enter and use Dhanmondi as a hangout. It was mentioned that residents of Dhanmondi were already overwhelmed by the invasion of outsiders and recreation-seekers.

Reacting to suggestions that the bridge could me made off-limits to heavy vehicular traffic, i.e., buses and trucks, DPUJ members pointed out that the heavy traffic snarl-ups inside Dhanmondi was caused mostly by light vehicles like rickshaws and cars. So restricting traffic on the bridge was not a practical solution.

The Jote strongly asserted that the processes by which Dhanmondi had become commercialised was not natural or organic in any way. When the Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan converted Dhanmondi from a purely residential to a mixed-use zone, it made the government responsible for protecting and preserving the essentially residential character of the area. Official negligence rather than natural forces is behind the distortion of Dhanmondi by some 146 schools and 158 other commercial establishments, the overwhelming majority of which had been established in clear violation of zoning codes and other regulations.

The members of the DPUJ also asked for implementation of the various masterplans and opening up of the routes through the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) Headquarters to civilian traffic. Representatives from BAPA and DPUJ assured that they would give their full backing to the Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB) in this effort and will help in mobilising citizens' support.

They said that constructing the new bridge would only be justified if it is preceded by a solid feasibility study and a competent environment impact study. To have a valid feasibility report the studies should be conducted by independent research teams, half of whom should be selected by the Institute of Architect of Bangladesh (IAB), members of the DUPJ and resident representatives from Roads 4 and 3A.