Study soon on dedicated bus lane
Saturday, 15 May 2010
Munima Sultana
A feasibility study will soon begin on the introduction of a dedicated bus lane between Uttara and Sayedabad in the city targeting easing of traffic congestion.
Bangladesh Roads Transport Authority said buses of 32 routes are now using the Uttara-Sayedabad corridor via Mohakhali making it one of the busiest and traffic congested zone in the city.
Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB) officials said six international companies from Japan, Hong Kong, Spain, the United Kingdom, France and South Africa have been short listed for the project titled "Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).
Officials said the intending companies will be invited to submit proposals by June 3 to compete for the final selection to conduct the study.
"The BRT service has been proved to be a cost effective public transport system with a capacity to carry more than 60,000 passengers an hour from one destination to another," a senior official said.
He said the study will determine the actual length of the route with total number of stoppages and their locations, standard of buses and related facilities including electronic ticketing system.
DTCB has taken the BRT project under an integrated transport plan aiming to enable the city commuters travel without being disturbed by other vehicles in its dedicated lane.
The 20-year Strategic Transport Plan (STP) has suggested three routes for BRT operation of which the pilot route was proposed on eastern corridor.
The first route in the STP proposed to introduce buses from Uttara with stopovers at Zia International Airport, Progati Sarani, Malibagh, Kamalapur Station and terminating at Syedabad bus terminal.
BRT is a popular mode of mass transport in different towns including in India, Jakarta, Japan, China and Canada.
A feasibility study will soon begin on the introduction of a dedicated bus lane between Uttara and Sayedabad in the city targeting easing of traffic congestion.
Bangladesh Roads Transport Authority said buses of 32 routes are now using the Uttara-Sayedabad corridor via Mohakhali making it one of the busiest and traffic congested zone in the city.
Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB) officials said six international companies from Japan, Hong Kong, Spain, the United Kingdom, France and South Africa have been short listed for the project titled "Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).
Officials said the intending companies will be invited to submit proposals by June 3 to compete for the final selection to conduct the study.
"The BRT service has been proved to be a cost effective public transport system with a capacity to carry more than 60,000 passengers an hour from one destination to another," a senior official said.
He said the study will determine the actual length of the route with total number of stoppages and their locations, standard of buses and related facilities including electronic ticketing system.
DTCB has taken the BRT project under an integrated transport plan aiming to enable the city commuters travel without being disturbed by other vehicles in its dedicated lane.
The 20-year Strategic Transport Plan (STP) has suggested three routes for BRT operation of which the pilot route was proposed on eastern corridor.
The first route in the STP proposed to introduce buses from Uttara with stopovers at Zia International Airport, Progati Sarani, Malibagh, Kamalapur Station and terminating at Syedabad bus terminal.
BRT is a popular mode of mass transport in different towns including in India, Jakarta, Japan, China and Canada.