Dhaka's road development efforts are failing due to lack of coordination

In terms of transportation infrastructure, the character of a city can be determined. The more advanced a city's transport system is, the more developed it is. Without a well-planned transportation system, a city cannot achieve the status of being advanced. In the past 51 years since independence, the capital city of Dhaka has seen extensive expansion. The population of the capital has now reached nearly 20 million. However, it cannot be denied that despite the way Dhaka city has expanded and the population has increased, the transportation system has not kept pace, and it has not become modern and efficient.
The way the capital's transport system is being managed at present indicates an unplanned management. The lack of coordination among the organizations associated with the transport system is evident. No co-ordination can be seen between the organizations that are building roads, licensing vehicles, and maintaining roads. There is no understanding of the work of one organization with another organization. The city corporation is constructing roads.
The Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) issues vehicle licenses, and the Ministry of Commerce grants permission for vehicle imports. They determine the number of vehicles required for city transportation. However, there is no effective coordination among these organizations. The Ministry of Commerce is unaware of BRTC's capabilities, and the City Corporation has no knowledge of the carrying capacity of the roads it constructs. Furthermore, they lack information about the number of vehicles needed for city transportation. Since there is no coordination among these organizations, it is evident that many more vehicles are operating on Dhaka city's roads than the infrastructure can support. As a result, the road environment is becoming increasingly congested, leading to a breakdown in the city's transportation management.
In a developed and modern city, the speed of transportation is crucial, and this is lacking in the capital city. Consequently, the general public is spending more time on the road for their daily commute. Over the past decade and a half, the average speed of our road vehicles has steadily decreased, and it has now reached a level even below the walking speed.
On one hand, we are investing substantial amounts of money in road development, but on the other hand, the average speed on our roads is decreasing significantly, causing frustration. Due to the lack of coordination, despite the substantial investment in road development, it is not yielding the desired results.
There are many countries around the world where road transportation management is highly organized and advanced. Peak hours witness a significant reduction in speed for a very short duration. However, they manage to maintain a satisfactory level of speed on their roadways through advanced management practices.
So, even though they experience a brief slowdown during peak hours, their overall transportation management ensures a comfortable speed for commuters.
Generally, during the morning and evening rush hours and on office break times, there is slightly more traffic pressure on the roads. In advanced countries, even during peak hours, efficient management can maintain speeds of 20 to 25 kilometers per hour on the roads. During normal times, they can elevate the speed of their road transportation to up to 50 kilometers per hour.
In the capital city of Dhaka, during peak hours, the average speed of road transportation is only 4.8 kilometers per hour. Moreover, when VIP movements take place on the roads, the speed decreases even further. I would say that our VIP movement in the country is highly disorganized. Urban residents who commute daily are unaware of which roads will be closed for VIP movements and when. If they had prior knowledge of VIP movements, they might have been able to find alternative routes for their commute.
So, in our country, it's essential to improve the organization and management of VIP movements to enhance the overall efficiency of road transportation, particularly during peak hours and office break times.
Traffic congestion has become a daily nightmare for us as vehicles ply on city roads in a completely unplanned manner ignoring the rules and regulations. Road management is very poor. No one complies with the law, and there is only an internal focus on how to get ahead. In the capital city of Dhaka, due to traffic congestion, it's challenging to provide a precise estimate of the annual economic losses caused by it. There is no accurate data or information available concerning the total length of roads in Dhaka city and their capacity. Additionally, there is no precise statistical information available regarding the daily volume of vehicles operating within Dhaka city and those entering from outside. The internal and external travel within Dhaka city is interconnected, and specific numbers regarding these journeys are also unavailable.
In developed countries, road management is monitored quite differently from how it is done here. Currently, in Dhaka city, there is no such monitoring system in place. In the developed world, road traffic management is often closely monitored and regulated.
In Dhaka city, at present, there are at least 200 million journeys made daily. Each time a person leaves their home and returns is counted as two journeys. These journeys encompass various purposes, including commuting to work, going to educational institutions, and other daily activities.
People travel to their workplaces, and there are journeys for employment purposes. Similarly, there are journeys for educational purposes. In this manner, Dhaka city generates an average of 200 million journeys per day.
In the capital city Dhaka, due to traffic congestion, at least 50 lakh work hours are wasted every day. Traffic congestion leads to economic losses for the citizens, as it results in extended travel times and, consequently, financial setbacks. Prolonged delays in traffic also have physical and psychological effects on individuals, as they can lead to stress and other health issues. Moreover, traffic congestion forces many commuters to use additional fuel, which has been scientifically proven to cause less damage to the road infrastructure compared to when a vehicle is in motion.
However, when vehicles are stuck in traffic jams, the damage to the road is more pronounced. Traffic congestion reduces the economic life of a road. If we consider the losses in these four categories, the total annual economic losses in the capital city of Dhaka due to traffic congestion amount to approximately 50 billion taka. This economic damage from traffic congestion accounts for nearly 5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In other words, the extensive traffic congestion in the city is causing significant economic harm.
If we could mitigate the manageable level of traffic congestion in the city of Dhaka, we could save the country's economy from this substantial financial loss. It's important to note that traffic congestion isn't limited to the capital city of Dhaka alone; regional cities also experience daily traffic congestion issues. However, the severity of traffic congestion in cities outside of Dhaka is not as pronounced as in the capital.
Nevertheless, in the future, traffic congestion in regional cities may become a cause for concern for us. Therefore, it's time to consider this issue at the national level and start planning for solutions to address the growing problem of traffic congestion not only in Dhaka but also in other cities across the country.
In a densely populated city like the capital, Dhaka, where the available road infrastructure is limited, it's challenging to completely eliminate traffic congestion. Proper traffic management is essential to address the persistent traffic congestion in Dhaka's roads. Currently, we are focused on supply management, such as constructing new roads, expressways, and flyovers. However, demand management is not being addressed adequately. It's important to emphasize the need for demand management.
As a general rule of thumb, a city should have a road network that covers at least 20 to 25 percent of its total area to manage traffic effectively. This means that in addition to expanding the road infrastructure, careful attention must be paid to demand management strategies to alleviate traffic congestion in Dhaka.
However, I believe that this statement is not entirely true. The need for a city to have a road network covering 20 to 25 percent of its total area depends on various factors, including the population density and the availability and efficiency of public transportation. A city can function effectively even with a lower percentage of road coverage if its public transportation system is well-developed and efficient. In such a scenario, a city with 10 to 12 percent of its total area as roads can still function smoothly. Therefore, it's essential to change our mindset and focus on improving public transportation rather than solely relying on building new roads to reduce traffic congestion.
But, that's not the reality. If we were more attentive to improving public transportation alongside the construction of new roads, solving the problem would be more straightforward. I believe that in the capital city, we need to expand public transportation extensively. Public transportation is sustainable, efficient, and ensures accessibility for everyone. Among the various parameters of sustainable development, inclusivity is of paramount importance.
The enthusiasm for personal vehicles in Dhaka has led to a significant increase in the number of privately owned cars. However, this has also resulted in traffic conditions similar to those of traffic jams. Individual cars often carry very few passengers in proportion to their capacity. Typically, private cars have only 6% to 7% of their passenger capacity utilized for transportation.
However, they occupy a significant portion of the total road space, approximately 60 to 70%. In contrast, public transportation systems utilize only 5 to 10% of the road space but carry nearly 30% of the passengers. If I could improve public transportation and instill discipline in this sector, we could potentially increase the share of passengers using public transportation to around 40 to 45%. It is also said in the RSTP that we have, 40 to 45 percent of the passengers of the capital Dhaka city can travel by public transport if we can bring this sector in order. Better quality vehicles can be arranged on the road. The road system can be made more dynamic and regulated. How many cars are required for the capital city of Dhaka? How to collect that car must be ascertained.
I'm sad to say that the plan to bring discipline to our public transportation system in Dhaka, which was conceived five years ago, has not shown any signs of implementation yet. Throughout the world, public transportation systems are managed with discipline.
However, in our country, the effort to bring discipline to the public transportation system has become entangled in a vicious cycle. There seems to be no viable alternative to political patronage and strong vested interests when it comes to implementing discipline in the public transportation system. Alongside quality vehicles, rickety and unauthorized vehicles continue to operate on the city streets. Those who own various transportation companies exert influence on the authorities in different ways but rarely consider the concerns of passengers. If the government attempts to make any legal reforms, transportation owners often resort to threats of protests or disrupt transportation services to force the government to concede to their demands.
Hence, to bring discipline to the transportation system in the capital, the government needs to have a strong political commitment. No one should be allowed to disregard the law and act unfairly. We must prioritize the interests of the urban residents above all. In a modern city, if the transportation system is not advanced and efficient, it is impossible to ensure sustainable economic development. If the public transportation system can be improved, passengers will naturally become more inclined to use it.
Another crucial aspect to consider is ensuring that outdated and unfit vehicles, especially those with expired licenses, are prohibited from operating on the roads. Old vehicles are a major cause of accidents, and their presence can significantly slow down traffic. We aspire to see every road in the capital city of Dhaka modernized and suitable for efficient transportation. Roads should be free from traffic congestion, ensuring that residents' time and money are not wasted.

Author: Urban Transportation Specialist, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), and Former Director of the Accident Research Institute (ARI), BUET.