Dhaka\\\'s chaotic traffic: Ways to salvage the city

Getting out of the nagging problem of traffic congestion in Dhaka still remains a distant dream for the city-dwellers. Their sufferings have intensified rather. They do not know when they will get actual relief from this menace.
To address the problem the government alone and also in cooperation with other private organisations has taken a number of initiatives. But there is no tangible outcome. On average city-dwellers have to spend three to four hours every day for their daily travel, thus reducing their precious time to spend for other necessary works.

Environmental effects and financial losses due to traffic congestion in Dhaka city are also colossal. Residents rarely can attend a programme on time due to such gridlock. They have to waste huge amount of time every day. Such circumstances are holding back expected development of the country as a whole.
During last forty-five years, the city of Dhaka has grown from a neglected provincial capital to prestigious national capital of Bangladesh. The population of the city during the same period had a phenomenal rise. But the amount of investment that was required for development of the city, urban mass transport system in particular, has not been made even to the extent of one-fifth of the requirement.
Abnormal and unplanned population increase, lower and unplanned amount of road network, faulty traffic management, shortage of mass transport, illegal occupation of footpaths and many more are causing the worsening of the situation.
For any modern city, roads should occupy at least 20 to 25 per cent of the total land area, according to transport experts. But in case of Dhaka city, it is hardly 7 per cent in total.
The quantum of roads -- big, medium and small--available for use by transports in the city stands at around 1850 kilometres: Main roads/arteries encompass 85 kms and secondary roads 78 kms (both are considered as main roads), pavement (rigid and flexible 220 kms and footpaths 390 kms. An estimated 0.8 million motorized transports (BRTA website) plus more than 0.4 million slow-moving human-pulled rickshaws ply the city roads every day (statistics of December 2010).
Since December 1997, the figure in respect of motorised vehicles, specifically the smaller vehicles, has been growing at 8-10 per cent per annum. This is a small vehicle-fleet density compared to many cities in the region. But there is already extensive congestion in the streets of Dhaka, especially in peak hours--almost 16 hours a day--from 8 am to 12 O'clock at night.
This congestion is not necessarily only because of lack of capacity, rather largely for lack of appropriate and improved traffic and road management. There is a significant amount of poorly utilized capacity in the existing road system. Nowhere in any big city of the world is there coexistence of slow-moving and fast-moving vehicles plying the same road, as is seen in Dhaka.
A number of major roads have been freed from slow-moving vehicles i.e. rickshaws. But, during last 5/7 years, it has been observed that thousands of motor cars have enthusiastically occupied the major portions of all the roads, some of which were earlier occupied by rickshaws. This trend has already reached unbearable levels on many roads.
In addition, there is prevalence of roadside hawkers and illegal parking of vehicles almost all over Dhaka city roads, specifically in Motijheel, Dilkusha, New Market, Gulshan, Banani, Mouchak, Malibag, Rampura, Tongi, Mirpur and Dhanmondi.
Interestingly, according to the traffic department of police, forty per cent of the total road network is occupied by the slow-moving rickshaw. The situation is worsening almost every day. Such staggering number of rickshaws is mainly responsible for bringing down average speed of vehicle within the conurbation to only around 8 kilometres per hour.
The road network of Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is 8.5 per cent of the total area and ratio of people and private cars is 3:1. But traffic congestion in Tokyo is rarely seen. People of Tokyo usually use mass transport like Rapid Transit System for Mass Transportation like metro rail, monorail, double-decker, articulated bus, Rigit bus and taxicab in their daily official or other sorts of transportation. People in Japan and other developed countries mostly use their private cars for pleasure trips.
But, in Dhaka city, road network is less than 7 per cent and ratio of population and their private cars is around 90:1. Though road network is almost a third of Tokyo, the private cars are far less than those of the Asian financial giant, Japan. Study from different sectors shows for lack of mass-transport services one private car moves several times every day. An owner uses his/her car first of all as school transport, then for official and then frequently for other household works. It shows that use of such private vehicles increases more than five to six times compared to those of the developed countries.
Moreover, an equally difficult strategic issue for transport in Dhaka is a widespread lack of respect for the rule of law. Driver behaviour in Dhaka is extremely poor, and at times arrogant. This is often a result of poor driving education and inadequate chaotic enforcement.  
The total number of registered motor vehicles in Dhaka (city) and new registrations of motorised vehicles in the last five years, from 2009 to 2014, respectively are given below:
From the vehicle registration in Dhaka as narrated above, anybody can conclude that exorbitantly very high number of smaller vehicles like cars, jeeps/ station wagons/microbus, taxi etc. have been registered or added to the chaotic transport fleet in the capital city against very small number of registration of mass transport like bus and minibus.
The scenario should have been the other way round. More favourable and planned conditions and facilities should have been created in the country by the government to encourage private-sector entrepreneurs to import more high-quality buses (preferably CNG-operated) with modern amenities for the city commuters.
Moreover, an abnormal and unplanned population increase in the capital city is going on unabated, slums are mushrooming, parts of roads and roadside footpaths, playgrounds, recreational spots, parks, vacant places of government and public places, railway stations etc are being illegally occupied, at times temporarily, many times semi-permanently by the rural migrants.
Dhaka has been an attraction to landless rural poor who see it as a source of income and services they cannot find in the home villages. Migration from rural areas to the city occurs at a high price for the metropolis.
Statistics reveal that, within few years of the partition (1947) the population was 247,000 only. The population of the capital, Dhaka, rose to 336,000 in 1951. And just after one decade, in 1961, it further rose to 550,000. In the year 1974, the population of the capital city was 16,80,000. In 1981, 1985 and 1989, the population of the capital fast increased to 34,40,000, 42,00,000 and 54,00,000 respectively as per Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
As of now, the Dhaka city population is estimated between 1,20,00,000 to 1,40,00,000. After independence (1971), the city has expanded geographically almost twofold, and many times chaotically, but utility services including roads, drains etc, did not develop even to the extent of one-third of the minimum requirement.  Growth of Bangladesh as a nation over the last 45 years has had a major impact on Dhaka. Not all the impact is positive in terms of the quality of life. Rather growth of Dhaka as a metropolis brought with it demands for expanded infrastructure to service the needs of its urban residents and casual or regular visitors from the countryside.
Increased population means increased demand for housing, transports and other community services. These demands eventually lead to concerns about the deterioration in the quality and quantity of services provided by government agencies and service-providers. Transport being a highly visible service, with end-impacts on most of the community, very often attracts the attention of policymakers and commoners who demand that community resources be directed at curing what they perceive to be problems.
However, a full-fledged and equipped BRTA could deliver its responsibilities efficiently, effectively and transparently and advise the government on different road-transport issues, including import requirement of different types of vehicles, taking into pragmatic consideration the availability of road facilities in Dhaka. But these did hardly happen in last two decades or so.
To get rid of this apprehended nightmare, I want to propose that the government immediately take and implement some measures: free all the footpaths from illegal occupants, lessen slow-moving vehicles i.e. rickshaw, make byline for rickshaws accept importing re-conditioned rigid bus from Japan and cut their import duties, introduce more double-duckers, make underpass and overpass on rail crossings and stop moving vehicle without fitness.
Besides, the government can also introduce metro-rail, mono-rail, underground rail, elevated motorway, and articulated bus. The government should also initiate implementing eastern bypass and city circular waterway and roadway.
If the government is not able to bear the cost of implementation of any of the these initiatives, then it can lease partially to the private sector or international investors for a certain period.
Above all, the government should also ensure accountability among the officials of city corporations, RAJUK, traffic division of police and build public awareness with the help of mass media.
I have my personal apprehensions or reservations, whatever way one may take it, that no government or its chief executive, neither the Ministry of Communications nor the Local Government Ministry in particular, gave any sincere, pragmatic, implementable, bankable and environmentally sustainable attention to address the serious traffic issues which have already engulfed the capital city to a point of almost no return. Rather, every government has neglected or overlooked the traffic issues of the capital city and other towns of the country as well.
Time is fast moving now, and if the government at the appropriate level is still hesitant to address the transport and traffic-related issues, the capital city is bound to collapse soon almost in totality. In that case, I apprehend, millions of people will lose their livelihood means and the capital city of Dhaka is bound to be abandoned by many.
The writer is Staff Correspondent at the FE. He can  be reached at:
[email protected]