Urban transport development

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Ayub Haroon
A seminar last year on urban transport development, for Dhaka in particular, found the chief representative of JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency advising Bangladesh against embarking on a metro rail project.First and foremost, the feasibility of such a project must be assessed properly, and then it is also essential to have the necessary legal and organizational framework in place, he cautioned.
Bangladesh would do well to note that such a mass transit system failed to work even in countries like Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, which are considered more developed. But the metro rail could not draw enough passengers there ! If that is the experience of countries known to be economically more advantaged than this country, the government should go for better options rather than please lobbyists of metro-rail, who are obviously looking for kickbacks.
The horrific traffic jams in the capital must be addressed with effective and sustainable measures. But one of the unpalatable truths about 'development' in Bangladesh is that wheeler-dealers are often bent on peddling projects that pay them the highest kickbacks regardless of whether or not the projects are affordable and sustainable and yield the promised results. There are of course many sensible projects as well, which are predominantly pro-people. But often they fail to get through on account of their not providing a 'percentage' to the assorted 'gatekeepers'!
This rent-seeking culture is very much part of the stark reality of Bangladesh. But surely, there must be a way to tread the middle path and get on with reasonable development ?
The most important objective of urban transport development should be to introduce services capable of carrying the maximum numbers smoothly and swiftly enough and to ensure that such services are accessible to people in the new settlement areas. The best would be to start working on the proposed rail-based and bus-based mass rapid transport systems, even while attending to the problem of oppressive gridlocks immediately.
The Bijoy Sarani-Tejgaon Sarani link road, which was opened recently, does not seem to have made any significant improvement. Why did it end up being so narrow ?
Day in and day out the unbearable traffic situation is costing the nation very dear, in terms of the time and energy wasted, the physical and psychological stress and the long-term health implications for commuters. Suggestions have been coming in from diverse quarters about what is immediately do-able to reduce the jams at the minimum possible time and cost.
A circular shuttle train service, parallel to the existing lines from Kamlapur, upto Gazipur, touching all key points, could be the most practicable project ---- provided the government wants to serve the people instead of friends and flatterers waiting to make money only.