In support of a sustainable and affordable transport system for Dhaka
Saturday, 15 March 2008
Engineer Shafiqul Alam
MANY have written about the nagging traffic congestion of Dhaka, some blame the traffic police for their miss-management, some suggest withdrawing the old vehicles and introducing more new vehicles, some highlight the need for making foot-over bridges and the most interesting thing is that some think that the foot-paths have to be wide. But from the transportation engineering point of view, removal of traffic congestion is impossible by the above-mentioned way.
Dhaka is one of the most densely populated mega cities in the world with its present population of over 13 million. The percentage of roads is far below the standard limit (only 7.0% instead of 30%). Whenever population exceeds one million, a mass transit should be introduced as a thumb rule of transportation engineering to ease traffic movement and save valuable human working hours.
Studies show that in a single lane in one direction in an hour buses can carry only 5000 passengers at an average speed of 10-15 km per hour. Monorail or sky train can carry 20,000 passengers. On the other hand, underground metro rail can carry 60,000-70,000 passengers at an average speed of 60 kph.
With the introduction of more buses, the environment of Dhaka would be more polluted and roads would be totally stagnant. In contrast to this, metro rail is totally free from emission as it runs on electricity. This electricity would be produced independently from coal or gas.
In case of elevated expressway (EE), it is impossible to make complete network throughout the city as if is already saturated. That is why EE for certain portion is not sensible. Any decision like that would make the same scenario like two fly-overs. Most of the buses do not use Mohakhali fly-over because they would not get the passengers there and can not go to Gulshan. There is just one directional movement there as a result of which buses reveresly coming from Banai can not go to Shatrasta and so on. On the other hand, the fly-over road-space has been wasted due to the columns and other works like beautification. Normally EE is used for the highway buses to pass the city without using the roads. Tollway of Chittagong also remains empty.
Construction of foot-over bridges is not a very good decision as well because foot-over bridges at various locations of Dhaka remain empty. People don't feel it comfortable to climb upward due to psychological stress; rather, they like to go downward first, then to upward and Gulistan and Karwanbazar underpasses are the examples of that.
Again construction of underpasses is not needed now because there would be free underpass at the metro station.
Some compares Dhaka with Bangkok and some with that of New York. Bangkok has sky train but that is not a complete network and the fare is very high (Thai Baht 15-30, almost Taka 30-60). The same situation was there in Australia for a segment of metro. The people were not interested to use that, because metro should be for the people but the people are not for metro. For that, they modified the network. On the other hand, the US government gives subsidy for metro because of its sound economy. Metro is profitable in Japan, China, India, France and so on. To speak the truth, the underground metro has a proven track record of 150 years and more than 177 cities are using this transport comfortably.
Considering the above facts, India has introduced metro in Calcutta and Delhi and one in Bangalore is under construction. Moreover, they are going beneath the Ganga in Calcutta to make the network complete. If metro is not profitable or is not the best solution, then why are they going to build another strip in Calcutta, even though they are the manufacturer of buses? Another point is to be noted that they have used cut & cover method and kept the metro fare just like bus fare. Some think that in case of earthquake or flood there would be sabotage in the tunnel. But metro tunnel can withstand earthquake in the magnitude of 9.2 in the Richter scale. On the other hand, the overground structures can sustain only 6.0 in the same scale. Anything like SIDR would totally collapse monorail or sky train. There is no chance of the entrance of flood water in the tunnel.
In this regard, one can check the under-passes and underground parking of Bashundara and so on. Other acts of sabotage are also not possible due to the integrated security, auto-initiated braking system, fire suppression system etc.
Future expansion has to be considered and that is only possible in the underground and we can make several networks (six networks-up to 180 feet) beneath the ground, one after another. For monorail, sky train or EE, we can never make lines one above another.
Since Dhaka is an overpopulated city, here ridership is also high and metro would be able to cater to more than 1.5-2.0 million (15-20 lakh) passengers per day and by adjusting headway 6.0-7.0 million (60-70 lakh) passengers can be carried.
Valuable human working hours are wasted every day and wastage of imported fuel due to jam is a huge loss. With the introduction of metro these, losses would be totally minimised and the economic gain would be Tk. 60-70 million (6000-7000 crore) per year.
If cut & cover method is applied for the tunnel construction, the total cost for Dhaka would be Tk. 70 billion (7000 crore). Eighty per cent of city dwellers would then get a metro station within one km or less walking distance and by adopting BOT (Build - operate - Transfer), the fare can be just like that of bus. The people of all classes would be able to use underground.
People always feel bored in using buses and women, children and the handicapped people are not habituated to use buses. That is why they use rickshaws and removal of rickshaws is not a wise decision as well.
One of the most unwanted but usual experiences in Dhaka is that auto-rickshaw- and cab-drivers want to move as per their will or charge Taka 10-20 or more than what is read in the meters, even though they are sitting idle. This is a violation of citizen's rights.
Traffic police personnel have nothing to do. Because at Mohakhali, some buses go to Shatrasta, some turn to Farmgate and some make the U-turn coming from farmgate or others go to Banani or Gulshan and some go to Shatrasta. In such a haphazard situation, what will traffic police do? Modernisation of signalling will do nothing, too. These steps were taken previously but the result is not very good and is far from satisfaction.
Only two per cent of the population of Dhaka own cars and with the improvement of economy, the rate will increase significantly. We can not restrict it. When metro would be in operation, this class of people would use metro during the peak hour and during the off-peak hour, they would use this own transport.
For EE, sky-train & monorail, the aesthetic view of Dhaka would be destroyed. The city would be more dirty and shaded. The exhaust from BRT (for EE) would make an isolated shade due to the turbulence in the upper region. For sky/mono, there would, once again, be a chaotic situation. It can carry few passengers. That is why people would not be able to depend on it and the use of sky/mono for some portion and that of bus for some portion are not sensible. To cope with the situation arising out of ever-growing population, we have to introduce heavy metro (underground metro rail) of independent network, where all the city entry points would be connected and the busiest areas would be covered according to the existing traffic-flow pattern.
Considering the fare, sustainability, future expansion, economic gain, track record, and environmental impact, underground metro rail by cut & cover method is the only viable solution to mitigate traffic congestion of Dhaka. That will eventually make pollution-free green Dhaka possible. In this regard, there is no denying of the fact that we may have to go beneath the first network for the second network in the near future to cater to the huge number of the city dwellers as the population growth rate is very high in Dhaka. Then we may use TBM for some portion. We need the balanced diet but not the rich food.
MANY have written about the nagging traffic congestion of Dhaka, some blame the traffic police for their miss-management, some suggest withdrawing the old vehicles and introducing more new vehicles, some highlight the need for making foot-over bridges and the most interesting thing is that some think that the foot-paths have to be wide. But from the transportation engineering point of view, removal of traffic congestion is impossible by the above-mentioned way.
Dhaka is one of the most densely populated mega cities in the world with its present population of over 13 million. The percentage of roads is far below the standard limit (only 7.0% instead of 30%). Whenever population exceeds one million, a mass transit should be introduced as a thumb rule of transportation engineering to ease traffic movement and save valuable human working hours.
Studies show that in a single lane in one direction in an hour buses can carry only 5000 passengers at an average speed of 10-15 km per hour. Monorail or sky train can carry 20,000 passengers. On the other hand, underground metro rail can carry 60,000-70,000 passengers at an average speed of 60 kph.
With the introduction of more buses, the environment of Dhaka would be more polluted and roads would be totally stagnant. In contrast to this, metro rail is totally free from emission as it runs on electricity. This electricity would be produced independently from coal or gas.
In case of elevated expressway (EE), it is impossible to make complete network throughout the city as if is already saturated. That is why EE for certain portion is not sensible. Any decision like that would make the same scenario like two fly-overs. Most of the buses do not use Mohakhali fly-over because they would not get the passengers there and can not go to Gulshan. There is just one directional movement there as a result of which buses reveresly coming from Banai can not go to Shatrasta and so on. On the other hand, the fly-over road-space has been wasted due to the columns and other works like beautification. Normally EE is used for the highway buses to pass the city without using the roads. Tollway of Chittagong also remains empty.
Construction of foot-over bridges is not a very good decision as well because foot-over bridges at various locations of Dhaka remain empty. People don't feel it comfortable to climb upward due to psychological stress; rather, they like to go downward first, then to upward and Gulistan and Karwanbazar underpasses are the examples of that.
Again construction of underpasses is not needed now because there would be free underpass at the metro station.
Some compares Dhaka with Bangkok and some with that of New York. Bangkok has sky train but that is not a complete network and the fare is very high (Thai Baht 15-30, almost Taka 30-60). The same situation was there in Australia for a segment of metro. The people were not interested to use that, because metro should be for the people but the people are not for metro. For that, they modified the network. On the other hand, the US government gives subsidy for metro because of its sound economy. Metro is profitable in Japan, China, India, France and so on. To speak the truth, the underground metro has a proven track record of 150 years and more than 177 cities are using this transport comfortably.
Considering the above facts, India has introduced metro in Calcutta and Delhi and one in Bangalore is under construction. Moreover, they are going beneath the Ganga in Calcutta to make the network complete. If metro is not profitable or is not the best solution, then why are they going to build another strip in Calcutta, even though they are the manufacturer of buses? Another point is to be noted that they have used cut & cover method and kept the metro fare just like bus fare. Some think that in case of earthquake or flood there would be sabotage in the tunnel. But metro tunnel can withstand earthquake in the magnitude of 9.2 in the Richter scale. On the other hand, the overground structures can sustain only 6.0 in the same scale. Anything like SIDR would totally collapse monorail or sky train. There is no chance of the entrance of flood water in the tunnel.
In this regard, one can check the under-passes and underground parking of Bashundara and so on. Other acts of sabotage are also not possible due to the integrated security, auto-initiated braking system, fire suppression system etc.
Future expansion has to be considered and that is only possible in the underground and we can make several networks (six networks-up to 180 feet) beneath the ground, one after another. For monorail, sky train or EE, we can never make lines one above another.
Since Dhaka is an overpopulated city, here ridership is also high and metro would be able to cater to more than 1.5-2.0 million (15-20 lakh) passengers per day and by adjusting headway 6.0-7.0 million (60-70 lakh) passengers can be carried.
Valuable human working hours are wasted every day and wastage of imported fuel due to jam is a huge loss. With the introduction of metro these, losses would be totally minimised and the economic gain would be Tk. 60-70 million (6000-7000 crore) per year.
If cut & cover method is applied for the tunnel construction, the total cost for Dhaka would be Tk. 70 billion (7000 crore). Eighty per cent of city dwellers would then get a metro station within one km or less walking distance and by adopting BOT (Build - operate - Transfer), the fare can be just like that of bus. The people of all classes would be able to use underground.
People always feel bored in using buses and women, children and the handicapped people are not habituated to use buses. That is why they use rickshaws and removal of rickshaws is not a wise decision as well.
One of the most unwanted but usual experiences in Dhaka is that auto-rickshaw- and cab-drivers want to move as per their will or charge Taka 10-20 or more than what is read in the meters, even though they are sitting idle. This is a violation of citizen's rights.
Traffic police personnel have nothing to do. Because at Mohakhali, some buses go to Shatrasta, some turn to Farmgate and some make the U-turn coming from farmgate or others go to Banani or Gulshan and some go to Shatrasta. In such a haphazard situation, what will traffic police do? Modernisation of signalling will do nothing, too. These steps were taken previously but the result is not very good and is far from satisfaction.
Only two per cent of the population of Dhaka own cars and with the improvement of economy, the rate will increase significantly. We can not restrict it. When metro would be in operation, this class of people would use metro during the peak hour and during the off-peak hour, they would use this own transport.
For EE, sky-train & monorail, the aesthetic view of Dhaka would be destroyed. The city would be more dirty and shaded. The exhaust from BRT (for EE) would make an isolated shade due to the turbulence in the upper region. For sky/mono, there would, once again, be a chaotic situation. It can carry few passengers. That is why people would not be able to depend on it and the use of sky/mono for some portion and that of bus for some portion are not sensible. To cope with the situation arising out of ever-growing population, we have to introduce heavy metro (underground metro rail) of independent network, where all the city entry points would be connected and the busiest areas would be covered according to the existing traffic-flow pattern.
Considering the fare, sustainability, future expansion, economic gain, track record, and environmental impact, underground metro rail by cut & cover method is the only viable solution to mitigate traffic congestion of Dhaka. That will eventually make pollution-free green Dhaka possible. In this regard, there is no denying of the fact that we may have to go beneath the first network for the second network in the near future to cater to the huge number of the city dwellers as the population growth rate is very high in Dhaka. Then we may use TBM for some portion. We need the balanced diet but not the rich food.