Two students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) conducted recently a study on the speed of vehicles in Dhaka city. They have found that at the moment, the average speed of bicycles is more than the average speed of four-wheeled vehicles in the capital.
The World Bank had revealed in 2017 that average speed of cars and other four-wheeled vehicles in Dhaka is less than 7.0 kilometres per hour due to traffic congestion. The research by BUET students was conducted after surveying 300 bicyclists who regularly cycle to their workplaces in six commercial areas of the city. The researchers found that the average speed of bicycles is 10.64 kilometres per hour in Dhaka.
Most roads in the city are packed during peak hours. This is when big vehicles like buses, medium ones like sedan cars and even three-wheeled auto-rickshaws are stuck in tailbacks on busy roads. As bicycles are slimmer than even motorcycles, these can easily make their way through the slightest gaps and reach destinations faster.
Hence, more and more commuters are becoming bicyclists almost every month due to the amount of time that they can save. Bicycles also give its riders daily exercise and are environment-friendly. Some people prefer bicycles rather than waiting for long hours on the roads for buses and then not being forced to stand in the bus due to the lack of available seats.
The study by the BUET students have also found that using bicycles instead of public transport saves an amount of Tk. 24,000 annual for a commuter in Dhaka.
The study underlines some issues affecting bicyclists. For example, 28 per cent of offices located in most commercial areas including Mirpur, Karwan Bazar, Banani, Old Dhaka, Mahakhali, Gulshan and Motijheel have parking spots for bicycles. I think this is very low. Lack of parking space forces most bicyclists to park their bicycles on the pavement or by the doors of the office, creating problems for pedestrians. Also, this makes it easy for criminal gangs to steal bicycles.
The research found, not unexpectedly, that some commuters do not want to take up bicycling because most people think that bicycles are for poor people.
The research also mentioned the lack of lanes for bicycles as a problem. It recommended the need for such lanes on the roads of Dhaka.
Dhaka North City Corporation has already introduced bicycle lanes in some areas. Other roads are likely to have it by next year. But Dhaka South City Corporation does not seem to have any such plans of introducing bicycle lanes yet.
I hope that the concerned authorities will consider this research. They should take these findings into account while taking future decisions related to Dhaka's transport system.
Akibul Javed,
Indira Road, Dhaka
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