Destined for nowhere

Recently the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) finalised the draft Revised Strategic Transport Plan (RSTP). This revision of the city's 20-year long transport policy-cum-plan has become urgent 10 years after its formulation for constructing infrastructure beyond the original plan. The flyovers already constructed in the city could not make any headway in easing traffic jams in the city, not even within the site areas. Rather, the traffic jam of one area has been shifted to another because of these structures.
Six years after approval of the Strategic Transport Plan (STP), it is now being found that the city has lost its character of liveability. People are facing a lot of sufferings while making their daily trips the city. They spend half an hour to 2/3 hours on every trip. The daily financial losses caused by the traffic jams continue to rise. All these structures built are now considered hazards for many important options like construction of roads, expressways and a mass transport system for the 15 million people as a long-term solution to the traffic snarls.
On the other hand, the short-term and easily-manageable solutions as proposed in the STP have been shelved in the political interest. The bus route rationalisation, bus networking by companies and efficient management of the traffic system never got due importance from the authorities concerned. The service sector is a sector, from where billions of bucks are extorted by different quarters. But Tk 532 million could be saved every day by improving the traffic management. In the absence of it, nearly Tk 200 billion (20,000 crore) is lost every year. A recent study by Board of Investment finds the traffic gridlock to eat p $ 12.56 billion a year which is about 7.0 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP).
Under the circumstances, the transport experts say the STP is like a 'Bible' for all infrastructure development agencies. They must follow it. On approval of the RSTP in a month or two, all the government agencies involved in road infrastructure development, including Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (Rajuk) and the two city corporations, have to follow it. It means they will not be able to plan any new road, flyover, overpass, expressway, metro rail, mono rail etc, if not included or hinted at in the RSTP. Other agencies will also have to take into account the transport options the RSTP proposes before constructing any new structure in the city to avoid its running into any other STP-suggested structure. The STP is aimed at nothing but to save Dhaka city from unplanned development and manage the pressure of uncontrolled migration.
Five mass rapid transit (MRT) lines and two bus rapid transit (BRT) lines are proposed to be built in the RSTP for greater Dhaka by 2035. In the earlier STP, three MRT and three BRT lines were recommended for three corridors in the city. Besides, the RSTP recommends three ring roads - inner, middle and outer - along with a road network and expressways to manage the growing trips in the city's different corridors. It also proposes a circular waterway and channel waterways, railway etc involving an investment of Tk 3,000 billion in the next 20 years. But this investment must be made based on detailed studies on the options.
But what actually is seen now? The DTCA, the custodian of the RSTP, has forgotten its role to uphold sanctity of the 20-year transport plan. It has already taken steps to kill its own newborn baby. Before the revised draft is approved by the cabinet, the DTCA board has approved a flyover project of the government agency Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (Rajuk), though it was not included in the RSTP. As the RSTP study team did not incorporate the flyover project in its final draft, the board allegedly misused its power as its chairman declared the approval. The motive of the DTCA 7th board meeting was to get the approval and it was done despite strong opposition from most members who attended the meeting. The approval was given, as there was no technical person or expert present in the board meeting to highlight the technical flaws of the project. The DTCA has the power to approve any project of an agency beyond the RSTP, if the board members consider it important for reducing traffic jams. But the DTCA board is dominated by politicians, including ministers, members of parliament, ward commissioners, city corporation mayors and heads of different transport and workers' associations.
The Rajuk flyover will pass through the congested and narrow public roads in old Dhaka. There is already a bridge built at Babubazar and it has used up a lot of open space. So, to avoid its running into the Babubazar bridge, the flyover must be built at the height of a seven-storied building. The higher it will be built, the longer it will run before touching down on the ground. But the flyover does not have that much free space. It will meet with the MRT line-6 at a height of 13 metres at the Paltan crossing. In a bid to detour it, the flyover viaduct will need to be extended almost half a kilometre forward above the MRT line. In that case, it will touch down on the ground almost steeply at Bijoy Nagar. So, the Rajuk has designed the ramp of the flyover in a way that it will touch down at a farther point at Shantinagar, instead of Bijoy Nagar. But the point at Shantinagar is no more than 200 metres off the Mouchak-Malibagh flyover. Again, all these structures will stand in the way of implementation of another STP option, BRT. The BRT line-3 that is supposed to run through Kakrail from Airport via Moghbazar will not get two dedicated lanes. As the flyover is planned to be constructed under the public-private partnership, the BRT line will not be allowed to get onto the flyover and it will also not get any at-grade road space. The piers will eat up the maximum portion of at-grade road space. Thus the BRT line will meet with mixed traffic for eight kilometres to 13 kilometres on its way. The BRT and MRT lines are planned as a mass transport system to help commuters cross different corridors uninterruptedly. But the flyover will disturb the BRT's important features.
According to the draft RSTP, one proposed ring road will carry the Padma Bridge traffic from the Dhaka-Mawa highway towards Dhaka and Narayanganj through different points. Construction of the Rajuk flyover on the proposed corridor will need on-and-off options within the city. But the DTCA's Japanese consultant recommended construction of the flyover on another corridor to avoid such a problem. It was suggested to be linked with the Dhaka Elevated Expressway at Kamalapur Railway Station, through which the Padma Bridge traffic could get into the city using the same ramps of the expressway at five points.
The city people have already lost an important option, a multimodal hub and interchange at Jatrabari, due to construction of the Hanif flyover. Despite strong opposition, the construction was allowed and its impact is now being felt by commuters using the road under the flyover. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which has been helping in establishing an efficient transport system and a network for greater Dhaka city by providing technical and financial support, also requested the government not to do it.
At the same time, the Moghbazar-Malibagh-Mouchak flyover has been planned without considering the BRT line. The coordination efforts of the DTCA totally failed in this connection.
Though the RSTP recommends some urgent steps to improve traffic within a short time, the traffic management and introduction of a modern bus fleet alongside rationalising the route structure, terminals and interchange facilities are not the areas of interest of the authorities concerned.
The city is witnessing an increase in trips with the influx of migrant people and an increase in trade and business activities. For managing the trips the authority is allowing small vehicles, including motor bikes, rickshaws, vans, human haulers and mini-buses from the non-professional point of view. Experts say the more small vehicles will be allowed on the streets, the more the plying of public transports will be impossible. There is no professionalism in selecting the bus routes and corridors. It is still under the control of the team dominated by police, transport owners and workers. The issue of restructuring regional transport committees (RTCs) was never raised by the policy makers and experts. This is now the job of the DTCA, according to the DTCA Act enacted two years ago.
Introducing an integrated multi-modal transport system, improved signalling system, standard training for all kinds of drivers etc., still get less priority, as these are the areas where less investment is needed. Finally, empowering the DTCA is now a dream, though it was transformed into an authority from a board (DTCB) to play its part in coordination and integration of transport-related projects. It is still under a ministry and controlled by bureaucrats. Its teeth remain as weak as it was when it was the DTCB. All these need to be addressed to save Dhaka city from further irreparable damage and make it livable.

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