Elevated walkway in Gulistan can be disastrous: Experts

Transport experts have criticised the plan of constructing an elevated walkway in Gulistan area instead of freeing the existing footpaths, saying it could be disastrous for the city's future transport plans.
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has taken the plan considering that the elevated walkway would be important even after freeing the footpaths from illegal occupation due to the growing number of pedestrians.
The experts and analysts, however, apprehended that the elevated walkway would be occupied by the street vendors as they did in cases of other underground tunnels, including the one in Gulistan.
Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) favoured the elevated walkway as it would provide an option for the metro rail passengers from National Press Club station of mass rapid transit (MRT) line-6.
DTCA's transport planner Anisur Rahman suggested planning the project keeping exit/entry of MRT passengers in mind.
The 1.1-kilometre elevated walkway is planned to be constructed along the median starting from Bangabandhu Avenue to Bangladesh Secretariat through the Zero point, and it would be linked from Bangabandhu Avenue to Bangladesh Telephone and Telegraph office through Golap Shah mazar.
The walkway to be constructed at a cost of Tk 1.13 billion would be covered and air-conditioned with escalator facilities at some points.
Transport experts said the site selection for the elevated walkway is not acceptable as it would damage all future options including MRT and bus rapid transit (BRT) in and around the area.
 They expressed concern that construction of the elevated walkway over the existing footpaths and the road medians would be damaging as it would reduce the walking area of existing footpaths and would also block options for any future development work.
 BUET Professor Shamsul Hoque said elevated walkway is usually established in an area having different activities so that the pedestrians will have different choices to go to their respective destinations. But, the DSCC's plan would not serve the interest as it is only a business wholesale area.
He said construction on the median would hamper scope of multi-purpose use of roads as already evident from many other city projects.
The professor of Civil Engineering Department said Dhaka city is already in a challenge and this kind of isolated plan would affect the scope of synergy in development.
The DSCC officials said elevated walkway has been constructed in many countries, including in Indian city of Mumbai, for facilitating the pedestrians.
They said the length of the 'at-grade' footpaths is not enough to accommodate the increasing number of pedestrians of the area.
"The entire areas of Gulistan and Baitul Mukarram have now turned into a business centre. It is not possible to give pedestrians the space for walking along the existing footpath even after evicting the hawkers," said an official involved in the planning.
"As there is also no scope of expanding present footpaths, elevated walkway has been planned."
 He said that the DSCC would take more projects to connect the walkway up to Sadar Ghat and centring Kamalapur railway station, depending on the success of the pilot project.
 According to the DSCC feasibility study, on average 4,000 pedestrians walk daily through the footpaths in Gulistan area which would increase significantly in the next 10 years.
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