All efforts to make the transport sector effective and friendly went in vain, deteriorating the passenger service further, experts said on Sunday.
They said various programmes have been taken up by the government and nongovernment agencies to improve the transport sector across the country but scenario remains unchanged, causing frequent accidents and traffic congestion on roads and highways every day.
The experts came up with these observations while speaking at a seminar on ‘The future planning of urban transportation in Dhaka’ at Krishibid Institution Bangladesh at Farmgate in the city. Planning Minister MA Mannan attended the seminar as a chief guest while Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) Executive Director Khandakar Rakibur Rahman as special guest.
The projects taken to improve the present chaotic situation now prevailing in capital Dhaka are short term, that lack coordination, they mentioned. They further added that sever traffic congestion is eating up over 5o lakh working hours every day, causing a loss worth Tk 37,000 crore annually
“Average speed of various types of transports come down to 4kmph to 5kmph during rush hours. Besides, most vehicles get stuck in the gridlock,” Tanweer Newaz, Chairman, Urban Habitat Architectural Consultants, told the seminar. Planning Minister said, decentralisation is a must for the city. Offices and authorities must be decentralised.
The speakers mentioned that the number of people is increasing daily in the capital, with a large number of new vehicles being connected to existing vehicles. The suffering of the city people has reached an unbearable level as the government's visionary projects, especially the construction of the Metrorail, are underway.
Most of the plans adopted to address the current situation are short-term and short-sighted. The minister urged all to be respectful of traffic laws to minimise traffic congestion. At the seminar, the main article was presented by Architect Planner Tanweer Newaz, Chairman of Urban Habitat Consultants.
According to the article, by 2050, Dhaka's population will be around 5crore. As a result of this, the transport scenario would be worse than ever. Various steps were taken to improve the condition, including pedestrian-friendly transportation, circular ferry-bus etc.