Bus Rapid Transit to help all stakeholders, workshop told

FE Report | Published: November 06, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

Planners, experts, and implementing agency officials of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects on Wednesday considered huge challenges in their implementation.
They discussed ways to make the new kind of mass transport system acceptable to political leaders, transport owners and workers as an effective solution of traffic jam.
They said, the BRT, which is to establish dedicated bus lane in the middle of the existing roads to ensure uninterrupted service for mass people, would provide a win-win situation for all these stakeholders. But they said due to lack of awareness, confrontation may arise.
The observations came during a daylong workshop on the 'Role of BRT as a traffic solution for Dhaka city' organised by Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) as part of its motivational campaign programme at the National Press Club.
Among others, Project Director of BRT South Mohammad Anisur Rahman, Project Director of BRT North Mohammad Afiluddin, Executive Director of DTCA M Kaikobad Hossain, Joint Secretary of Clean Air and Sustainable Environment (CASE) Project Abdullah Al Mohsin Chowdhury and BRT Awareness Campaign team leader Ramendu Majumdar spoke on the occasion. Public Transport Advisor of DTCA Frits Olyslager also presented some papers.
The DTCA and the Roads and Highway Department (RHD) have been implementing the two BRTs - named BRT South and BRT North - from Gazipur to Keraniganj at a cost of US$ 500 million and with assistance of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank to ensure uninterrupted trip.
Officials and project experts said the two BRTs would reduce the time of travelling and save energy.
Frits Olyslager said the BRT will provide a win-win situation for public, for the city and for the bus operators. It will increase mobility and decrease dependency on small vehicles including private cars.
He said currently Dhaka's lane capacity is approximately 1,200 passengers per hour which can be elevated to 16,000 by implementing the BRT.
The discussants said though the three BRT lines and three Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) lines have been recommended in the Strategic Transport Plan, scope of one BRT line in Kuril might have been lost due to encroachment.
They felt traffic management in road intersections needs to be improved and access of rickshaws restricted.
The BRT two lines will be constructed in two parts - the ADB-funded first 20 kilometres from Gazipur to Uttara (Hazrat Shahjalal Int'l Airport) portion and the WB-funded 22km from Uttara to Keraniganj (Jhilmil project) portion.
Mohammad Anisur Rahman said after feasibility study, design works of the BRT line 3 are continuing now.
He said there are some challenges in implementing the line 3's Uttara-Keraniganj section including traffic management at road intersections and access of rickshaws.
Greater Dhaka Sustainable Urban Transport Project (Gazipur-Uttara BRT) director Mohammad Afil Uddin said they would complete construction of the portion within 2017.
Officials also said in Dhaka, 38.9 per cent people use rickshaw, 28.3 per cent public buses, 19.7 per cent walk and 4.9 per cent people use private cars.
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