SLC-S29/W3-“Thinking and Ideas!| Seeing Problems Differently!”

Hello friends, I hope you are all well. For the third week of the Steemit Challenge contest, I will be sharing Seeing Problems Differently! I would like to thank the organizers of this challenge, and without further delay, I am starting my participation.

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Identify one everyday problem in your community or country and explain some steps in solving them.

I live in Chittagong, Bangladesh, where the members of my community face a major daily problem is the crisis of public transport and commuting. Due to an insufficient number of public vehicles, the general public suffers regularly while traveling to offices, courts, schools, and colleges. While trying to choose alternative vehicles, the lack of control over autos, CNGs, and rickshaws has led to extra fares, which have now become a daily companion for the common people. It is crucial to solve this problem. Below are some suggested steps for resolution:

Increasing the Number of Buses: Increasing the number of public buses on various important routes. Currently, due to the shortage of buses, passengers have to travel by pushing while standing. An increase in the number of buses will provide more seats and setup for a dedicated allocation of seats for women & older.

Ticketing System: Helpers in public buses often try to collect fares beyond the regulated rates, leading to frequent disputes between passengers and helpers. If a digital ticketing system is introduced for bus travel, issues regarding overcharging and bus-related hassles will be eliminated.

Fixing Fares: Creating a fare chart per kilometer for CNGs, auto-rickshaws, or small public vehicles and ensuring its implementation. General citizens often use these vehicles to save time but face overcharging; therefore, a fixed fare chart is essential.

Enforcing Rules: Monitoring public transportation to ensure they do not carry passengers beyond their capacity and issuing appropriate fines for such violations. Carrying excess passengers results in loss of both time and the quality of the journey.

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Why do you think this problem still exists despite many people noticing it?

Even though the general public suffers from this problem daily, it still exits because no suitable solutions or steps have been taken. Additionally, several other reasons exist:

• Vested Interests of Authorities: It is often seen that those responsible for regulating transport laws have their own investments in this sector. Consequently, they prioritize their own convenience and profit, preventing the problem from being solved.

• Bus Association Syndicates: Vehicles without fitness and overcrowding are visible to everyone, but the public is held hostage by the bus owners' association. If the administration tries to take action against them, they go on strike, making the situation even more complicated.

• Habitual Acceptance: We, the general public, have become habitat to this transport problem. Despite a bus being overloaded, we board it to save time because there is no fixed schedule for the next bus. Even when overcharged, we consider it a small amount and pay to avoid hassle, unintentionally making the extra fare a "fixed" rate. This habit prevents the problem from being solved.

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In your opinion, what is the most misunderstood part of this problem?

The Biggest MisconceptionThe biggest misconception is the belief that widening roads and increasing the number of buses alone will solve the problem. However, widening roads often makes buses drive even more recklessly, while other vehicles and hawkers occupy the extra space and increase the traffic.

Widening roads is not the only solution. For example, our Dhaka-Chittagong highway—the most important highway in Bangladesh—was upgraded from two lanes to four in 2015. Over time, reckless driving on the wide road has led to an increase in road accidents.

To solve the problem, public transport must be modernized, and strict rules must be issued and implemented. The causes of public suffering must be identified, and suitable solutions must be found and applied.

If you could change one mindset related to this issue, what would it be?

The mindset we must change is the thought: "What difference will it make if I follow the rules alone? Everyone else is going against the rules and following no regulations, so what change will my individual compliance bring?" This way of thinking has taken root in everyone's mind.

As a result, we witness these problems daily and are even willing to endure the suffering because we have become so habitat to it, yet we feel hesitant to follow the rules outside the situation. If I start following the rules today and someone else does tomorrow, the problem will surely no longer exist.

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Thank you to the organizers of this challenge. I invite my three friends, @edgargonzalez @dove11 @jyoti-thelight to participate in this beautiful challenge topic.