Getting rid of city traffic woes: Will expressways, flyovers, and metro rails help?

Urban traffic management is an exciting puzzle across cities and megacities around the globe. 

It is perceived that better transport infrastructure in urban areas can help to combat traffic jams in urban areas. 

However, it has been proved in many instances that investment on transport infrastructures alone cannot solve traffic problems in the city. 

Rather cities should additionally address traffic management, road governance, travel demand management and better integration of land use-transport relationship for ensuring efficient and affordable transport system in urban areas.

Dhaka city is currently one of the slowest cities in the world in spite of having large investments in mega infrastructure projects in the form of expressways, flyovers, and the Metro Rail in recent years. Hence the question arises why these large investments have largely failed to decrease the traffic jam in Dhaka city.

We must remember that the Strategic Transport Plan (STP), formulated in 2005 had recommended emphasis on public transport. It underscored that "the majority of the populace in the city relies either on non-motorised travel (walking, cycles, rickshaw, etc.) or on public transport for mobility. Strategies without an emphasis on public transport are not favoured". 

Therefore, the STP emphasised on pedestrian-friendly facilities, extensive roadway development, improvement of bus services and bus route franchising, development of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) for Dhaka city. 

However, in the different phases of STP implementation, appropriate attention and importance on low investment priorities like pedestrian-friendly facilities, improvement of bus services and bus route franchising were not given by the successive governments. Rather high investment projects which were not preferred in STP like expressways, flyovers, and Metro Rails, have been prioritised by the authorities for traffic solutions in the capital. 

Therefore, nearly two decades after the STP formulation, we have yet to properly implement Bus Route Franchising projects or improving city bus services or completing BRT projects. 

On the other hand, we could build large mega projects like expressways or metro rails in a quite unplanned and organic city like Dhaka.

Any success of large transport infrastructures greatly depends on multi-modal integration and proper integration with land uses of the city. Unfortunately, our transport and urban authorities have not given due attention and care on these issues. 

Hence, we have observed that Dhaka Elevated Expressway which is supposed to lead toward areas outside the city along the rail lines, but its exit ramps are planned in such a way at various spots inside Dhaka, that has further increased the traffic pressure on the city.

In addition, the elevated expressway project has been hampering the construction of the third and fourth rail lines from Dhaka to Tongi, which could increase the mass transit facilities through fast and affordable commuter rail services. 

The elevated expressway is mainly catering to private vehicles and serving the elite class of the society. Hence the division between have and have nots of the society regarding transport equity is quite evident now.

Nonetheless the introduction of Line 6 of metro rail in Dhaka city, connecting between Motijheel and Uttara is a breath of fresh air for Dhaka dwellers, particularly for common people in the city. Though the fare of the metro is relatively high here in comparison to other south Asian metros, we have been experiencing a high level of ridership nowadays due to lack of better-quality bus services in the city.

To combat our traffic congestion, eight flyovers have been built in Dhaka city over the years. Diversion or interchange flyovers in the outskirts of the city like Kuril flyover have positive impact for Dhaka traffic, however overpass flyovers like Mohakhali flyover, driven by the travel demand of automobiles have little impact on reducing traffic congestion.

Most of the flyovers have been off-ramped at intersections, bringing vehicles converging to a traffic stop instead of going over it. Flyovers can also cause congestion when the road capacity is full during peak hours and if the volume of vehicles travelling during that time is greater than the capacity of the flyover, which has been the case with some of the flyovers in Dhaka. 

By and large, transport infrastructure planning and management in Dhaka city lacks proper integration among different authorities and their subsequent transport projects. Moreover, the population of Dhaka city is always increasing due to lack of decentralisation initiatives. 

Therefore, the number of vehicles, especially private automobiles like private cars and motorcycles have been alarmingly increased in Dhaka city due to unavailability of quality bus services or mass transportation system. Infill developments of the city without proper planning and development control are also contributing to the city's traffic chaos.

Sustainable transport planning for Dhaka city demands multi modal integration between different modes of transport. Common people are quite willing to ride on mass transit like metros. Multi modal systems and their seamless integration will exemplify the mobility of Dhaka cites to a great extent.

We need proper plans for limiting the number of private automobiles and rickshaws as well based on the analysis of the carrying capacity of roadways. Ward based traffic circulation plan with proper identification of parking areas should be formulated and road governance should be strictly enforced. 

However, without proper planning and investment on bus services, paratransit services and pedestrian facilities, Dhaka cannot even think of shrugging off its notorious traffic chaos on its royal streets. 

We must act upon these low-cost ventures and take proper initiatives for decentralising economic activities of Dhaka city as well. That's where the traffic puzzles of Dhaka would be solved.

Dr Adil Mohammed Khan is president of Bangladesh Institute of Planners, executive director of Institute for Planning and Development (IPD), and professor of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Jahangirnagar University. The write-up is based on a conversation with TBS Staff Correspondent Md Jahidul Islam.