Worsening traffic congestion in cityElevated expressway, metro rail not a solution: Experts

Mega projects like flyover, elevated expressway and metro rail are unlikely to help ease Dhaka City's worsening traffic jam, according to experts. "The government should take projects keeping the land use pattern of the city in mind. It has to consider how people travel in the city. About 38 per cent of trips take place by rickshaws, 28 per cent by buses and 20 per cent on foot," president of Bangladesh Institute of Planners Prof Dr Sarwar Jahan told the UNB. He said some 0.175 million trips take place in the city every day with little long-distance travel. The city-dwellers usually take short trips within one to two kilometres. "The elevated expressway, as planned, won't help these commuters. If they travel through expressway, they won't be able to get down from vehicles at their desired destinations. So, the travellers will have to go for long-distance trips if they want to use that," he said. About the ongoing metro rail project, Dr Sarwar Jahan said, "This is an unfeasible project. The government will have to provide huge subsidy to keep it operational. The city-dwellers will have to pay excess fare to travel by the metro rail." He went on: "If the government doesn't provide subsidy, commuters will lose their interest to travel by metro rail due to excess fare. The more the people will travel by metro rail, the more the government will have to provide subsidy, and finally it'll be compelled to stop the service." Sarwar Jahan said the metro rail cannot handle so many passengers. "The planned 10-20km rail cannot resolve the traffic congestion in the city. We need a longer route, but underground one." Dr Sarwar Jahan, also the chairman of Urban and Regional Planning Department at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), said this is an ambitious project given the present state of the country's economy. He said Dhaka City's traffic jam cannot be resolved overnight. "No single idea can give the city a better look. So, we need a multidimensional approach. If a strong city government can be created that may be able to take steps as the army has done in Dhaka Cantonment area." Dr Sarwar Jahan said the traffic jam can be eased by introducing mass transportation system. "Mass transit facilities should connect all the major parts of the city. If the government introduces the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in the city, the traffic congestion could be minimised," he said. About disadvantage of the elevated expressway, international transport expert Dr Mahabubul Bari said the elevated expressway will create many 'disadvantages' for the city commuters because it will promote private cars. "The elevated expressway to generate their own traffic diverted from other roads; increases trip lengths; favour only a very small minority of people driving cars, often simply shift congestion from one point to another in the network; result in increases in noise, pollution, congestion, and fuel consumption; and reduce accessibility for pedestrians and other sustainable modes of transport," he added. Referring to the comments of ex-Bogota mayor, he said the former mayor of Bogotá Enrique Penalosa rightly remarked - 'There are two ways to destroy a city. One is through nuclear bombing, and the other is with elevated roads'. Dr Bari, a transport adviser to the government of Uganda, said many cities in the world have constructed multi-level elevated expressways, but still could not reduce their congestion level. The proposed 26-km elevated expressway is very close to the existing rail lines, starting from the Shahjalal International Airport and it will pass through Mohakhali, Moghbazar, Khilgaon and end at Kutupkhali of Jatrabari. If the government constructs the elevated expressway, it will not be possible to implement the proposed 3rd and 4th rail lines between Kamlapur and Tongi, said Dr Bari. To ensure sustainable transport development in the city, he suggested imposing restriction on private cars, development of standard bus schedule, separate lanes, giving priority to cyclists, rickshaws at intersections, keeping cycle and rickshaw lanes clear from obstructions, trash and parked cars; cycle and rickshaw parking facilities; development of commuting, intercity and circular rail network, giving more priority to railway over roads.