Way out of traffic gridlock

A study on Dhaka City's traffic conducted by a Japanese consulting firm has put forward a rational explanation of the intractable traffic congestion on its roads. Done for the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development (DMRTD) project, the study finds that the space of the main arteries of the city proves inadequate for the flow of traffic. The capacity of roads measured technically in terms of the passenger car unit (PCU) should, for reasons understandable, be higher than from the PCU measures from the available vehicles on those roads in a given time. Unfortunately, on rare occasions do such measures on the main thoroughfares prove lower than the road capacity. Traffic flows measured in Mirpur and Airport roads were 3,348 and 6,060 PCUs as against the road capacity of 3,200 and 6,000 units. This means no movement whatsoever of vehicles and therefore a gridlock. In peak hours -during and immediately after office time that is - when the traffic flows reach such optimal points, it is obvious that commuters have to wait for hours together to get out of the tailback.

Why the situation has come to such a pass has rightly been identified. Hardly any diversion roads or bypasses were added to the traffic network of the capital. The few like the Hatirjheel diversion road is either limited within a specific locality or has little practical value because of the lack of interconnection or failure to overcome the bottlenecks created at the exit points. The benefit of flyovers too has been limited for the same reasons. Another study, the Dhaka Urban Transport Network Development Study (DHTUS) completed in 2010 warned of the danger ahead and suggested construction of prime roads on the outskirts of the city before such areas too were massively used up for housing. Sure enough, construction of outlets like the Biswa Road could have taken the pressure off from the roads of the inner city. Now, the Beri Bandh or the flood protection dam on the western fringe of the city still offers an opportunity to develop it into a really feasible alternative to the main thoroughfares running north to south. On the eastern fringe, such options are few and far between.

However, options for road construction notwithstanding, it must be admitted that for a megalopolis like Dhaka, they offer a poor solution. There is no alternative to large-scale mass transit. Metro rail is the answer. Whether it runs overhead or underground, that is not the issue. The issue is such a system has to be put in place within the shortest possible time. Needless dilly-dallying with the proposed elevated expressway has already cost the country massively in term of economy, energy and man-hour input. Still the timetable for building the expressway looks uncertain. Why? The project will be funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JAICA) and last year the fund was ready for release but the failure to complete the process at the Bangladesh-end stalled the project. This is unacceptable. There is every sign that this capital is fast turning to be unliveable. There is need for taking up bold, innovative and massive projects for easing transportation in the city.