Easing capital\\\'s perennial traffic gridlock

Traffic situation across the capital is deteriorating fast with the induction of more vehicles on the roads, much to the plights of city dwellers. There appears to be no easy solution in the foreseeable future.
The capital is now witnessing unprecedented congestion from morning on almost every working day in most parts of the city, causing untold sufferings to thousands of commuters. It usually takes about two hours to travel a distance of only six kilometres during peak hours.
An overwhelming number of recklessly driven public transports are contributing to the intense traffic congestions and the lack of road safety. Governments in the past had taken up a number of short-term plans like construction of overpasses and underpasses for vehicles, connecting roads, bypasses, and east-west roads, but none of those initiatives was implemented so far.
As such, traffic congestion in the city is increasing beyond manageable proportions. Official statistics show over 0.2 million buses, trucks, and cars now ply the city roads, while about 20,000 vehicles on an average add to the number every year. The Dhaka city has only 7 per cent roads network against the international standard of 25 per cent.
Successive governments had taken up several projects but certainly those are not enough to ease the traffic snarls. The authorities are planning to implement short-term projects like construction of overpasses and underpasses for vehicles and linking roads, bypasses and roads. But those also need a pretty long time to be completed. Ahead of Ramadan, the traffic department is reportedly taking preparations to ease traffic congestion.
Urban planners and communication experts have identified multi-dimensional causes behind traffic jams in Dhaka. These include rapid unplanned urbanisation, high population rate, high rate of increase of vehicles, plying of different speeding vehicles in a single surface, unauthorised parking, illegal occupation of roads, non-compliance with traffic rules, a lack of traffic rule enforcement, lack of coordination among different agencies and ministries for managing city traffic, reckless driving and frequent changes of policies.
Even the existing footpaths, foot bridges and underpasses are occupied by encroachers, beggars and hawkers. Moreover, these places are neither clean nor safe. Obviously the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) is not doing its job of making sure that the pavements and foot bridges are useable. At the same time, the public must use these facilities instead of crossing busy roads risking their lives and interrupting the traffic flow. The mindset of the public about abiding by traffic rules needs to be changed.
Over the years, efforts have been made for the improvement of traffic management; unfortunately many of such initiatives went in vain. In spite of launching synchronised signal system, the traffic police are seen controlling traffic signal of busy intersections manually. In such a system, if vehicle gets green signals at one point it indicates that it will get the same signal in every intersection. Such a synchronised system is hardly working. And it is really a challenging work, especially in a mega city like Dhaka where motorised vehicles of different speed and shapes and many non-motorised vehicles ply the same roads. Besides, the traffic police give passages to the VIPs, interrupting the signals causing huge traffic jam.
A 20-year Strategic Transport Plan (STP) approved in 2008, envisaged setting up of an integrated environment friendly traffic management system for greater Dhaka. Addressing the existing problems, the plan included both short-term and long-term policies to be taken. At the same time, STP suggested institutional capacity building of different agencies including RAJUK, DCC and BRTA. Unfortunately it is a common feature in Bangladesh that even the most well thought-out plans do not see the light of the day.
The city's traffic congestion problems can be addressed very well through relocating some establishments which are occupying a lot of spaces within the core areas of the city. From their relocation to areas near or adjacent to Dhaka, a healthier and environment-friendly environment will be also created.
The freed spaces can then be used to build roads and other transport related infrastructures to swiftly bring about massive relief to commuters in the city. For instance, The Kamlapoor rail station can be gradually moved out to Tongi and beyond. Alternate rail link with Chittagong and Khulna may also be planned now from Narayanganj.
The Karwan Bazar market can be moved and a multi-storeyed parking arrangement built there by the DCC. Dhaka Cantonment may be gradually moved out of the city. This area is a major impediment to traffic movement. If it is moved out to Gazipoor much of the city's traffic congestion will ease.
Similarly, the Dhaka Central Jail in the old city can be moved away from its present site that would set free a lot of ground for building roads in the old city areas. Relocation of the tanneries from Hazaribag will free spaces for further road building.
Dhaka is growing haphazardly in all directions. No government sincerely tried to decentralise the activities and relocate various economic activities outside Dhaka. For the sake of survival, adjacent districts of the city such as Narayanganj, Gazipur, Tangail, Mymensingh, Narshingdi, Comilla and Brahmanbaria should be developed to ease migration pressure on Dhaka.
Dhaka city has three rivers around it -Buriganga, Sitalakhya and Turag. These rivers can be turned into the life blood of the city. These rivers need extensive dredging to ensure navigability round the year. The city circular river-way can be a very useful communication route. The dredged material can be used to make city protection embankments and on these embankments the city circular road and even surface rail track can be laid.
The readymade garments (RMG), leather industries and other industries should be moved out of city areas. The RMG industries relocated from these areas to the outskirts of the city and leather industries to leather complex well beyond the city's limits will relieve the city from substantial energy load and help the environment immensely.
The government needs also to consider enhancing the road networking capacity of the city. All other related measures are also required to be in place in order to effectively deal with the situation. Given the will, it is certainly not impossible to make a considerable improvement on the prevailing state of traffic jam.     
szkhan@dhaka.net