Bangladesh loses Tk 370 billion a year, which is equal to 11 per cent of the national budget, to traffic congestion in Dhaka, according to a recent study.
The people in Dhaka face a waste of 3.8 million work hours daily due to traffic jam, the World Bank said last year, but now researchers at BUET say the amount is five million work hours, reports bdnews24.com on Saturday.
The Accident Research Institute at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology or BUET presented the report at a roundtable organised by the institute and Road Safety Foundation on Saturday.
The institute's Director Prof Dr Moazzem Hossain said Bangladesh could have saved Tk 220 billion if it had reduced 60 per cent of congestion in Dhaka.
The average speed of public transports in Dhaka has dropped to as low as of walking speed -- five kilometres an hour, according to Hossain.
"This is leading to the waste of five million work hours. Traffic congestion is causing a loss of Tk 370 billion a year," he said.
The report he presented at the roundtable says 35 per cent of the commuters travel by public transport in 3.6 million trips daily.
Hossain said people were suffering nine types of damage due to traffic jam. These include the effect on their mind and social communication.
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