Everyday life in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is largely defined by the city's traffic. Vehicles are stuck in cataclysmic gridlock on Dhaka's streets as the city's traffic situation deteriorates with each passing day. The average time lost to commuting in the city is a staggering 2.5 hours a day, making it one of the most gridlocked cities in the world. With over 20 million people living in the city, every small commute turns into a nightmare. This is mainly because of high vehicle density. Dhaka has 0.4 million vehicles per square kilometer, much higher than in other major cities worldwide.
Traffic congestion in Dhaka is draining the economy and undermining small businesses every single day. Studies by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies estimate that the city loses billions of dollars annually due to wasted fuel, lost working hours, and delayed services. For small traders and shop owners, the impact is severe. Many report that customers arrive late-or not at all-because journeys that should take minutes stretch into hours. Delivery schedules collapse, transport costs rise, and daily income becomes unpredictable. As one shop owner in Dhaka put it, "Every trip feels like a long wait. Time is lost, costs increase, and it becomes harder to sustain the business."
While the economic costs are severe, the deeper damage is to everyday quality of life. Across Dhaka, people carry a quiet exhaustion shaped by hours lost on the road. Commuters speak of frustration, but also a sense of helplessness that has become routine. Asha Rahman, a teacher at BRAC University, starts her day before sunrise, hoping to stay ahead of traffic. "Even after leaving home early, I still arrive late for class," she says. What should be a short commute turns into a long, draining journey. Standing for extended periods, moving inch by inch through congested roads, leaves her physically exhausted and mentally worn out before the workday even begins.
In Dhaka, traffic is no longer just part of daily inconvenience-it is increasingly a public health concern. Medical professionals warn that prolonged exposure to congestion creates both physical and psychological stress. Continuous noise, air pollution, and uncertainty in travel time elevate stress hormones and contribute to fatigue, irritability, and anxiety. Health experts in Bangladesh point out that long hours in traffic are linked to rising cases of hypertension, sleep disturbances, and reduced overall well-being. For many residents, the daily commute has become a deeply stressful experience, where the strain does not end upon reaching home but carries into every aspect of life.
There is now pressing urgency to act; urban planners and other experts say the problems are likely to get worse unless action is taken quickly. But with the city's population projected to rise by a further 10-15 per cent in the coming years, what can be done?
World cities have found that innovative public transportation, such as Bus Rapid Transit systems, intelligent traffic management systems, and cycling and walking facilities, can help ease the urban traffic mess. By looking to successful cities, Dhaka can be sure to reap benefits from modernising its transportation infrastructure and embracing sustainable urban mobility solutions. But to the city's 20 million-plus residents, these crowded streets are not just a nuisance; they are an expensive way to move people and, with the right urban planning. Now, Dhaka is at a critical juncture where traffic congestion hampers not only the daily lives of citizens but also undermines the city's economic development. A host of factors contribute to Dhaka's worsening traffic situation, primarily lack of adequate public transportation, inefficient urban planning, and a rising population.
Knots of stationary automobiles and snarls of slow-moving vehicles choke the roads of Dhaka, largely as a result of an exponential and unstable pace of urbanisation. The city has grown far faster than the global average, and as a result, it has outgrown its exhausted and woefully inadequate infrastructure. Traffic congestion, therefore, can be blamed on the sheer variety of vehicles as Dhaka's population struggles to negotiate a transport system that was supposed to handle a much smaller crowd of residents. While cities such as Seoul and Singapore have planned and invested in their urban development in anticipation of growing populations, Dhaka's urban planners are scrambling to find innovative solutions to the transport headaches afflicting the city's residents.
How do successful cities tackle urban challenges? By looking at some current struggles and successes, one can see some striking similarities and glaring differences. Mexico City has spent significant resources over the last decade to develop extensive public transportation as well as bike lanes and pedestrian zones. Its car dependence has decreased significantly, while Dhaka has mostly inadequate public transport with overcrowded buses and metro lines under development. As a result, the majority of commuters in Dhaka rely on personal vehicles, which occupy space on the road that could be devoted to far more efficient public transport systems that service 50 per cent or more of trips, as is common in cities like Tokyo.
The problems for commuters in Dhaka do not stop there. The city's crumbling infrastructure often plays a role in worsening travel times. Roads are frequently potholed and littered with obstructions and numerous studies have found that approximately 40 per cent of Dhaka's roads are in poor condition. Add to this the absence of designated lanes for buses and ride-sharing services clogging up even more space on Dhaka's roads, and it is no wonder that the city is slow to get moving. "If the city had a decent transport infrastructure, people would be able to get around faster and more easily. A good urban infrastructure also increases the quality of life," said noted urban experts.
In spite of massive investments in developing transport infrastructure, lack of effective traffic management becomes another hindrance to smooth travel in Dhaka. With little or no enforcement of traffic laws, driving becomes completely anarchic, leading to absolute disrespect for lane management. Traffic violations have increased by 30 per cent in the last five years and are taking a terrible toll on suffering commuters. The city could take lessons from Bangkok on traffic management, as the successful city incorporated a traffic management system with awareness among its people to avoid traffic chaos and abide by traffic laws scrupulously.
To address a complex set of issues, a complex set of solutions are required. Radical reforms in urban planning and a huge increase in investment in public transport could ease traffic congestion in Dhaka. But learning from other cities around the world, the city can also reap enormous economic benefits and the gains of its citizens through improved quality of life. Addressing the traffic problem requires vision - a vision for the distant future and the political will to undertake bold and sustainable solutions through a strategic plan. Learning from success stories of other cities, Dhaka can adopt actionable solutions through investments in public transportation, an intelligent traffic management system, and integrated urban design improvements. These solutions can collectively make a huge difference in decongesting the city's roads.
One of the most effective ways to alleviate congestion is to establish an efficient public transport system. And it's a model that has worked in cities before. In Bogotá, Colombia, a "bus rapid transit" (BRT) system that includes dedicated lanes on main roads moves millions of passengers efficiently. In Dhaka, a similar model - inspired by a successful system in Bogotá known as Trans Milenio - could alleviate traffic on the city's chaotic roads. This system uses buses that travel rapidly along dedicated lanes, moving passengers to their destinations more efficiently. And while it is less expensive to develop than a subway system, it also reduces travel times to help meet the demands of a growing city, decreasing travel times significantly during peak hours and serving over two million passengers per day.
Enhancing public transport in Dhaka and adopting sophisticated traffic management systems could transform the city's roads for good. For example, using intelligent adaptive traffic signal systems like the one implemented in Los Angeles and currently used in many other cities around the world, wait times at signal intersections can be reduced by 20 per cent. Seamlessly integrating such smart technologies with Dhaka's legacy infrastructure can enable a more efficient flow of traffic across the city, bringing down journey times and reducing the potential for congestion. In addition, traffic updates on mobile apps can help drivers choose the fastest route or avoid hotspots of congestion altogether.
In order to enhance urban design for pedestrian-friendliness, the potential is immense. By developing active transportation options such as cycling, large numbers of commuters can reap incredible benefits to themselves and the city as a whole. In the bicycle-passionate city of Amsterdam, cycling is commonplace and very safe due to its extensive network of bike lanes. In order to tackle growing vehicular congestion and greenhouse gas emissions in Dhaka, the city should consider utilising similar designs by incorporating bike lanes as well as pedestrian-friendly walkways.
However, all these potential solutions require a significant effort from all stakeholders. We need to make a joint effort to create a sustainable solution to the traffic crisis in Dhaka by holding multi-stakeholder meetings and partnerships with the government, community organisations and the private sector. Organising public discussions, awareness campaigns, and media coverage can help to highlight the importance of the crisis and invite citizens to make their voices heard. A sustained campaign that raises awareness about the benefits of better public transport as well as quality biking infrastructure and spaces can translate into concrete action and strong community support for change.
Dhaka is at a turning point; it needs to act now to grapple with its growing traffic woes. Lessons can be learned from successful cities. And innovative solutions can also be harnessed by combining technology with community participative approaches. If all the residents of Dhaka-along with the relevant government and private bodies-join together to turn these ideas into reality, the city's streets can be made traffic-friendly once again. This is the moment for Dhaka to learn and evolve to build a livable, sustainable city with innovative modes of transportation, and to inspire a new culture of urban livability.
Dr. Shahriar Hossain is an environmental
scientist, journalist, and activist.
shahriar25@gmail.com
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