Traffic jams blight life in Dhaka
Staff Reporter :
Despite pouring billions of dollars into ambitious mega projects such as the metro rail, elevated expressways and a plethora of flyovers, yet the bustling metropolis Dhaka remains trapped in the clutches of unrelenting traffic congestion, leaving its residents frustrated and disillusioned.
To utter despair and sufferings of the commuters, perennial traffic congestion has now become a daily event in almost all streets of important city areas including Baridhara, Gulshan-1 and Gulshan-2, Rampura, Moghbazar, Kakrail, Mouchak, Paltan, New Market, Dhanmondi, Kolyanpur, and Mirpur during the peak hours.
An abnormally high number of registered vehicles, poor road conditions, lack of proper infrastructure, rapid growth of population, lack of public transportation options and occupation of footpaths are major contributors to the congestion and pollution in the city, reducing productivity and decreasing quality of life of the residents, experts said.
In an attempt to alleviate the traffic woes, the Dhaka City Corporation was divided into two entities – the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), but the division has not yielded the desired results as gridlock continues to haunt the city.
Pedestrians are often left with no choice but to walk in the middle of the streets, further exacerbating traffic jams and leading to frequent accidents.
Despite promises, city authorities have failed to clear the footpaths, rendering them unusable for pedestrians.
On the other hand, millions of dollars were invested in automatic traffic management systems, but these efforts seem to have gone up in smoke.
The traffic system, at present, is largely controlled by the ‘whimsical’ hands of traffic police officers, leading to inconsistency and inefficiency in managing the flow of vehicles.
Despite all the infrastructure development and projects aimed at face-lifting the city, there seems to be a glaring absence of collaboration among the agencies responsible for traffic management and urban planning.
According to a study by the Bangladesh Institute of Planners, Dhaka
has only seven per cent of the 25 per cent of roads required for vehicular movement.
As of June 2023, Dhaka city has approximately 2,019,941 registered vehicles, including 40,998 buses, 10,089 minibuses, 20,837 autorickshaws, 1,061,521 motorcycles, 334,543 private passenger cars, 93,629 microbuses, 82,215 trucks, 5,755 ambulances, and 115,021 pickup vans. Additionally, 4,000-6,000 new vehicles are added to the streets each month.
In a recent study conducted by the Accident Research Institute (ARI) at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) found that the majority of commuters in Dhaka travel during peak hours from 7:30 am to 10:30 am and 4 pm to 8:30 pm, comprising 60 per cent of all vehicles.
The study found that there are 25 million trips made daily, with office goers accounting for 44 per cent of those trips, covering both shorter and longer distances.
According to ARI, the congestion causes an annual loss of between Tk 20,000 crore and Tk 55,000 crore.
The DMP reports that average peak-hour travel time is 2.5 to 3 hours, notably longer than in other Bangladeshi cities.
The city’s road capacity is roughly 3,000 km, but poor road conditions and encroachment limit it.
In 2019, Dhaka had 4,822 congestion-related accidents causing 476 deaths and 5,417 injuries.
The roads are heavily overcrowded, with an average utilisation rate of around 120 percent.
Major roads in Dhaka handle 30,000 to 40,000 vehicles daily, including both private and commercial vehicles, the report said.
Amidst the worsening traffic chaos, residents of Dhaka have expressed their frustration and disappointment.
“I face perennial traffic congestion from Mohammadpur to Motijheel during peak hours. It’s impossible to predict how long it will take to reach my destination.
The footpaths are a mess, and I often find myself walking on the road, risking my safety,” Nadia Khan, a commuter, shared her concerns.
Aminul Islam, an environmentalist, expressed his worry about the air quality, saying, “The unchecked emissions from old vehicles are causing severe harm to our health and the environment.”
Traffic police said that the increased number of vehicles including the motorbikes compared to the road capacity is creating huge pressure in the streets during the peak hours.
Acknowledging the challenges, they said that they are working tirelessly to improve the situation and it requires a collective effort.
“The increasing number of motorbikes in different parts of the capital is contributing to severe traffic congestion. We are making efforts to bring them under traffic rules,” Md Munibur Rahman, Additional Police Commissioner (Traffic), told the New Nation recently.
“This is really a big challenge for controlling the huge number of vehicles compared to the road capacity,” he said.
Despite the promises, Dhaka’s residents remain skeptical. They are looking for tangible actions that will bring relief from the daily ordeal of traffic jams, polluted air, and precarious footpaths.
Experts said that as the city grapples with these multifaceted challenges, it is evident that merely pouring money into infrastructure projects is not sufficient.
What Dhaka needs now is a holistic approach that combines infrastructure development, strict enforcement of traffic regulations, public awareness, and collaboration among city authorities.
Only then the promise of a cleaner, traffic-congestion-free Dhaka could be realised, city planners Architect Iqbal Habib told the New Nation.