Gridlock feared as BRT narrows road space for other vehicles

The country's first bus rapid transit, once completed next year as scheduled, may give travellers between Dhaka airport and Gazipur a fast and comfortable ride along the dedicated busway, but is feared to leave other commuters and vehicles on normal routes in long waits.

The 20.5km dedicated busway, partly elevated at places, occupies nearly half of the width of the airport-Gazipur road to serve less than one-fifth of the passengers who use the corridor, narrowing the main road space for all other modes of transports, says the Asian Development Bank, the key financer of the project that is running for more than a decade now.

Infographic: TBS

The BRT system, which is being constructed on the two lanes of the four-lane road, is expected to carry 1.88 lakh to 3 lakh daily passengers to and from Gazipur and Dhaka airport.

It means the rest of around 15 lakh people who currently rely on other public and private transports everyday on the normal lanes may suffer traffic gridlocks on the substantially narrowed main road.

Moreover, in the 19 BRT station areas along the road, only four metres of space has been allocated for all modes of transport other than BRT.

A recent visit to the BRT areas reveals that this limited space becomes problematic when a bus or truck stops near a BRT station as even a CNG auto-rickshaw cannot pass them. Consequently, traffic congestion quickly ensues under the pressure of other public and private vehicles.

The government started the project in 2012 to provide high-quality bus services with dedicated lanes. Initially planned for completion in 2016, it is now projected to finish by December 2024, with the cost revised from Tk2,040 crore to Tk4,268 crore.

As per the ADB survey in July 2022, the Gazipur-Dhaka airport corridor witnesses the daily movement of around 1.11 lakh vehicles in both directions.

Among these, around 23,000 vehicles pass through the Gazipur intersection and continue towards Mymensingh.

Additionally, a considerable number of passenger and cargo vehicles from Savar and Ashulia access the corridor via Abdullahpur, found the survey.

With the upgrade of the Joydebpur-Chandra-Tangail-Elenga road to four lanes, commuters from Rajshahi and Rangpur regions now prefer to exit the capital through the Bhogra intersection.

The survey said upon the completion of the Dhaka Bypass project, a significant portion of travellers from Sylhet and Chattogram will use the Bhogra bypass to reach Dhaka or Gazipur.

Dr Shamsul Haque, transportation expert and director of the Accident Research Institute of Buet, said the utility of the corridor has been undermined by spending public money.

The project design focused solely on accommodating BRT vehicles and their passengers, without considering other modes of transport, he said.

Meanwhile, Safiqul Islam, managing director of the Dhaka BRT Company Limited, has defended the allocation of four metres of space for general transport, stating that extensive calculations were done before determining this dimension.

"The station's space is relatively narrower compared to the surrounding area. Nevertheless, the station area has been designed with a slightly thicker and slightly curved area of the road," he said.

He also mentioned that preparations are underway to commence BRT services by next September. The procurement process for buses has progressed significantly, and if approved, the buses are expected to arrive by August.

Inappropriate buses, fragmented services

According to the Dhaka BRT Company, the tender for the purchase of 137 standard AC buses, powered by diesel, was issued earlier this year, following the completion of approximately 80% of the infrastructure construction.

However, experts have raised concerns regarding the decision as BRT systems worldwide typically operate with articulated or double articulated buses to facilitate passenger transportation.

Considering that each articulated bus has a capacity to carry 140 passengers, the system was initially designed to accommodate 20,000 passengers per hour. However, purchasing standard buses will reduce the passenger capacity by half.

Dhaka BRT Company has reported that 10 private companies have already shown interest in operating the BRT service, although the authorities are considering the state-owned Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) to operate the service.

Transport experts, on the other hand, express doubts about the potential passenger attraction of this new service.

They also question the profitability for companies or private partners involved in passenger transportation, the overall sustainability of the service, and the effectiveness of the BRT system in reducing traffic congestion.

The implementation of the BRT project from Gazipur to Dhaka airport was initiated with the plan that the BRT system would be extended from Dhaka airport to Keraniganj via Mohakhali and Motijheel.

However, the suspension of the decision to expand the BRT system to the southern side of the airport will result in a reduction in the number of potential passengers.

Transport experts argue that the fragmented BRT corridor without an alternative transport system from the airport will discourage many people from using it.

Dr Hadiuzzaman, transportation expert and professor at Buet, said the BRT project in the airport-Gazipur corridor would not have been given the green light if a proper feasibility study had been conducted.

"Constructing a BRT system in a captive corridor is neither financially nor economically feasible. BRT systems should be developed in corridors where passenger movement remains consistent throughout the day. In the case of the Dhaka airport-Gazipur corridor, the BRT system is likely to experience passenger demand only during the morning and afternoon rush hours," he said.

Dr Hadiuzzaman highlights that a portion of passengers who board public transportation in Gazipur disembark in Uttara. Thus, even if they were to use the BRT system, it would not benefit commuters travelling to Badda, Notun Bazar, Banani, Bijay Sarani, and Farmgate.

The Dhaka BRT Company has also expressed concerns about the current BRT system's ability to meet passenger needs.

According to a report by the company, a significant number of passengers have final destinations located further south of the airport. If these passengers cannot be transported to their ultimate destinations, it poses a risk to the company's business.

To address this issue, company sources have stated that efforts are being made to establish an integrated system through an agreement with MRT Line-6 and other bus routes in the city.