Traffic Congestion in Dhaka City and its Economic Impact

Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, is notorious for its traffic congestion. With a population of over 20 million people, the city has seen rapid urbanization and an increase in the number of vehicles on the road. As a result, the city's streets are often gridlocked, making it difficult for commuters to get around and causing significant economic and environmental problems. One of the primary causes of traffic congestion in Dhaka is the inadequate road infrastructure. The city has a limited number of roads, which are often narrow and poorly maintained. The roads also lack proper traffic signals, and there are few dedicated lanes for public transport, resulting in vehicles competing for space on the roads.

Another significant contributor to traffic congestion is the rapid growth of the private vehicle sector. With a rising middle class, more people are purchasing cars and motorcycles, leading to an increase in the number of vehicles on the road. the city's infrastructure has not kept pace with this growth, leading to traffic congestion and long travel times. The lack of an effective public transportation system is also a significant cause of traffic congestion. Dhaka has a limited metro rail system, and the bus system is poorly organized and unreliable. Many people who cannot afford private transport use rickshaws or walk, leading to overcrowding on the roads.

Traffic congestion in Dhaka has significant economic implications. Long commutes lead to lost productivity, higher fuel consumption, and increased transportation costs. The congestion also increases the time it takes to transport goods, leading to higher costs for businesses. The environmental impact of traffic congestion is also severe. The high number of vehicles on the road leads to increased air pollution, which can have a significant impact on public health. The congestion also results in higher fuel consumption, leading to increased greenhouse gas emissions. To address the problem of traffic congestion in Dhaka, several measures have been proposed. These include the development of a comprehensive public transportation system, the implementation of dedicated lanes for buses and other public transport vehicles, the improvement of road infrastructure, and the promotion of carpooling and other forms of sustainable transportation. All the megacities in the world suffer from traffic jams at certain hours of the day. But what we have in Dhaka is not a traffic jam; it is total traffic chaos and mismanagement. In recent times, the government has taken some positive steps, such as widening the roads, expanding footpaths, and building flyovers and overpasses, but yet there has been no improvement in the traffic situation.

Cities are the main engines of our economic growth. Even though Dhaka is only one percent of the country's total area, its contribution to GDP is 36 percent, and it has created 44 percent of the country's total employment. Considering the economic potential of Dhaka need review its existing traffic situation and also consider possible solutions. Many of us break the law in full knowledge of its existence, and many don't even realize that they are doing something terribly wrong. This is a social problem and needs to be addressed accordingly. The government, with the help of social organizations, can undertake a project to create necessary awareness by teaching ethical driving, road crossing, traffic management with audio-visual displays, images, etc. The electronic media can play a huge role in raising awareness by showing short documentaries on the subject. All this should be part of a long-term project and not just an eye-wash during Traffic Week. Experts say the traffic congestion may be reduced by 40 percent just by improving traffic management and public awareness.

The average traffic speed in Dhaka has fallen from 21 kmph to 7 kmph in the last 15 years. This might so happen that the speed would be 4 kmph by 2035 (According to a World Bank Report). In another study, carried out by BRAC Bank, it is found that the traffic jam ruins around 5 million work hours every day. If we convert this into money, it is almost the losing of $11.4 billion per year. So, it is the cost of time lost in traffic jam and also the money lost on operating cars for extra hours. Managing heavy traffic is not a matter of joke and it also causes serious mental agony. At least 90 percent of buses, minibuses, and auto rickshaws do not follow traffic rules In the current year, from 01 January to 30 April, 1,841 people of different ages were killed and almost 5,471 injured. Most of the injured persons are unable to lead a normal life which entails economic and social cost like healthcare, rehabilitation and other property damages. This cannot be measured in terms of money. In the year 2020, it was more serious than what is observed from January to April in 2021. There are a number of reasons behind the traffic jam in the city.

Few of those are inappropriate traffic system, lack of awareness etc. We also find few more causes like unskilled drivers, unfit and unusable vehicles, narrow road conditions and unplanned urbanization. Most importantly, slow moving manually driven vehicles run alongside the high-powered engine driven vehicles almost in all roads in the city. To manage this mixed traffic, the number of traffic police is too meagre to explain.

The most congested areas in the city are Mirpur, Farmgate, New market, Mouchak and Malibagh crossings, Maghbazar, Gabtali and Aminbazar (on the entry of city), Matizheel and Gulistan area etc. Another big traffic jam area is the old Dhaka which always remains as the mystery of proper causes. Lack of disciplined bus services and along with the increased number of rickshaws made the traffic jam more intolerable for the city dwellers. For the purpose of improving the traffic situation in Dhaka city the government has undertaken few positive steps. Those are, widening the roads, footpath expansion, constructing flyovers and overpasses, introducing U-loops etc. If we consider the economic growth of the country, Dhaka contributes 36 percent of the total GDP of the country. For the purpose of employment opportunity, the city has created 44 percent of total employment. In the present days, in developed countries, the traffic is being maintained through automatic signaling.

In our country it is still far away to introduce the latest system. Like Dhaka city other cities (port city Chittagong) are also experiencing terrible traffic jam. Behavioral patterns of all concerned need to be improved. The drivers and other road users break traffic laws. This has turned into a social problem. The government should undertake necessary steps to bring this situation into normalcy. Various awareness programs like safe driving, traffic management week, displaying visual boards, showing traffic system can be introduced by the authority. Our experts from BUET suggested that at least 40 percent traffic jam can be removed by managing traffic system and developing consciousness among the common masses. Different studies show that there are as many as 5 million vehicles plying the roads of Bangladesh, out of which 3.1 million vehicles are registered. Dhaka city alone absorbs almost one million vehicles. It is to be mentioned that, if we can introduce double-decker buses of 60 seats in the city, at least 25 rickshaws/auto rickshaws would be reduced. It can help in removing traffic congestion and at the same time air pollution can also be controlled in the city. Most of the rickshaws are found without proper documents and do not have legal permission to ply city roads.

Most of the rickshaw pullers do not have any training or experience to drive in the city. They move helter-skelter, cause unusual congestion and also commit accidents. In many squares and junctions, signaling arrangements inadequate. Even if there is any, drivers are less bothered about following those. For this reason, in many areas we find manual signaling by traffic police. These are very tiring and colossal for them to manage huge volume of vehicles during peak hours and create chaos and confusion between the drivers and traffic polices. Always we find their altercations between the traffic police and road users, which often create huge tailback and gridlock in the city. Almost 15 percent traffic jam occurs due to the ineffective handling of traffic by the traffic policemen.

In many important areas in the city, unauthorized parking makes the roads narrow to be used by vehicles. In many cases, traffic police are found in a fix to manage the situation. It is being observed that most of the time the common masses suffer the trauma of traffic rush in the city. Lastly, traffic congestion is a severe problem in Dhaka, with significant economic and environmental implications. Addressing the problem will require a concerted effort from both the government and the public. By investing in public transportation and promoting sustainable transportation,it is possible to reduce traffic congestion in Dhaka and improve the quality of life for its peoples.

Amit Banik is a freelance journalist and columnist. Email: [email protected].