Lecture 6

Deficiencies of Transport
Planning in Bangladesh

Dr. Charisma Choudhury

Assistant Professor
Department of Civil Engineering

Outline

Background

Sound transport planning (TP)

Deficiencies of TP in Dhaka

The way forward…

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 1 : Pre-Mughal Dhaka 2 : Mughal Dhaka 3: British Colonial Dhaka
(before 1604) (1604-1764) (1764-1947)
Area: 8 sq m
Area: 1 sq m Population: Around 0.15 m Area: 20sq m
Population: Unknown Population: 0.25 m

4: Dhaka in the Pakistan Period 6: Dhaka. 2000

5: Dhaka, 1980
(1947-1971) Area: 590 sq m
Area: 62 sq m
Area: 40 sq m Population: 10.7m
Population: 2.4 m
Population: 1.6 m

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 New Road Constructions
(Over Last 1 Year)
1. Link road between Rokeya Sharani and Airport
Road (completed)
2. Continuation of the Road no. 11 from Banani to
Gulshan over the lake (completed)
3. Link road and railway overpass linking Bijay
Sharani and Tajuddin Sharani (completed)
4. Hatirjheel road
5. Interchange at Kuril junction
6. Tolled Jatrabari- Gulistan flyover (reinitiated)
7. Elevated Expressway (BOT bids invited)

Other Transport Initiatives

(Over Last 1 Year)
1. First franchised bus service Shuchona (April 2009)
2. CCTV aided surveillance system (May 2009)
3. Ban on old vehicle usage (September 2009)
4. New school and office timings (October 2009)
5. Decision to introduce school buses (November 2009)
6. Implementation of automated traffic signals (November
2009)
7. Expression of Interest for construction of the Bus-Rapid-
Transit (BRT) system (November 2009)
8. Plan to introduce school buses (November 2009,
abandoned April 2010? )
9. Enforcement of lane-usage rules (December 2009)

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 Effects?

Reflects the importance given by the Government to
tackle the problem of traffic congestion
– But very little tangible results

What is missing in our transportation

planning and policy framework?

Marshy land/unbuildable land

Marshy land/unbuildable land

Bamboo cottage Selling and buying plot on

drowned land

Increasing cottages once, Fenced by bamboo in separate

twice and then plot

Common Bamboo pole for connecting Land filling of fenced area

Development Neighborhood by seeing

One or two storied building
on long column

Process in Dhaka them one after another

Increasing no of buildings

Wants/Needs

64 % areas of Dhaka Demand/ Precession

is below 6m from Build up a group

MSL Meeting & Procession

Coming in front of local political leader

DCC, RAJUK, DESA,

WASA etc.

Gas, Water, Sewer line by destroying Constructions of local road in donated

constructions land

Unplanned
Unplanned
community
community

Source: Mahmud, Identifying the Deficiencies of Landuse-Transport Development in Dhaka City, MSc Thesis, BUET
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Sound Transport Planning

Pre-requisites:
– Long term and consistent
– Coordinated
 Among agencies
 Across time dimensions
– Comprehensive and integrated
 Land-use
 Trade, commerce and industry
 Technology
 etc.

Long Term Transport Plans for

Dhaka

Dhaka Integrated Traffic Study (DITS)- 1994

Strategic Transport Plan (STP)- 2004
– accepted in 2008

DHaka Urban Transport Study (DHUTS)-2010

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Other Long Term Plans for Dhaka

The first report on town planning came in 1917

Three Master Plans
– First Master Plan Report-1959
– Dhaka Metropolitan Area Integrated Urban
Development Plan (DMAIUP)- 1981 (not approved)
– Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan (DMDP) - 1995
 Volume I: Dhaka Structure Plan (1995-2015)
 Volume II: Urban Area Plan (1995-2005)
 Detailed Area Plan (DAP) (currently waiting for approval)

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Other Long Term Plans for Dhaka

Acts and Ordinances:

1. The East Bengal Building Construction Act-1951

2. Town Improvement Act (TIA)-1953
3. The Municipal Administration Ordinance, 1960
4. Dhaka Metropolitan Development Authority Ordinance-
1974
5. Dhaka City Corporation Act-1983
6. Town Improvement Act (TIA),1953 Modified in 1997
7. The Natural Water body, Open space, Park, Play
Ground protection Law, 2000 .
8. The Private Land Development Housing Project Rules
(PLDHPR), 2004

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Other Long Term Plans for Dhaka
Other Initiatives:

1. Creation of Dhaka Improvement Trust (DIT)-1956

2. Preparation of Task Force Report on urbanization,
1991
3. National Housing Policy -1993
4. National Habitat Report with detail action plans of rural
and urban development -1996
5. The Dhaka land Management Project (1993),
6. Housing Sector Strengthening Project (1993)
7. The Urban Poverty Reduction Project (1996)

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Limitations of Long Term Plans

Lacks proper goals and objectives
– Question: what is our current transport planning goal?

Discontinuity
– DMDP : Structure Plan and Urban Area Plan (1995), DAP still
being processed in 2010
 Planning horizon was 2015 !

Data issues
– Stale data: STP approved in 2008, based on data from 2002
– Discontinuous data: no preservation of previous data

No co-ordination
– e.g. DAP 2010 does not take into consideration the effect of the 6
MRT lines proposed in STP 2006 and approved in 2008

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 Limitations of Long Term Plans (2)

Implementation issues
– Long review process
 Time gap between plan and implementation
– Base scenario has already changed
– Poor implementation and enforcement
 e.g. land use, access, traffic design
– Inherent weaknesses in plans often make them difficult
to implement
 e.g. BRT in Old Dhaka

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More About Implementation

Among the total so called
primary roads, 25 %
developed in between
1981-1990 are through the
executive orders

No consistency with the
Master Plans

Source: Mahmud, Identifying the Deficiencies of Landuse-Transport Development in Dhaka City, MSc Thesis, 16
BUET

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Transport Development Initiatives
(1981-1990)

New road: English Road, Rokeya Sharani, Progati
Sharani,

Missing link: Bijoy Sharani, Panthapath, Banglamotor
road, Tikatoli road,

Widening of roads

Bus terminals establishment

Rearrangement of Gulistan terminal area

Relocation Golashaha mosque

Correction of road width at Tejgaon by demolition of
government staff quarter

Flood embankment project

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Design of New Roads (1981-1990)

Overlooked planning issues:

– Access control
 No side road entry restriction
– No land use restriction
 Haphazard road side developments

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 No direct connectivity
between Mirpur and
Farmagate

Mirpur

Example 1:
Rokeya Moghbazar

Sharani

Farmgate

1959 Master Plan 19

Mirpur

Example 1:
Rokeya
Sharani

DIT Road: Merul, Badda

Rokeya Sharani with
Access road 20

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 Mirpur

Example 1:
Rokeya
Sharani

Rokeya Sharani with no

access road 21

Example 2: Mirpur Road

Banning non-motorized vehicles in 2002
– What was the objective?
– How was this implemented?
 No planning of alternative options
 No parking restriction

Result
– People were motivated to shift to car
 Coupled with introduction of low cost fuel (CNG) as well as
availability of auto loan

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Example 2: Mirpur Road

Comparison with London Congestion Charging
– Vehicles entering Central London on peak hours have
to pay 7 GBP (Tk 700 +)
– All revenue goes to public transport improvements
 30% increase in public transport rider ship on the first year

No statistics for the benefits
– No performance evaluation step in the planning process

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Sound Transport Planning

Pre-requisites:

Long term and consistent

Coordinated
– Among agencies
– Across time dimensions
– Integrated
 Land-use
 Trade, commerce and industry
 Technology
 etc.

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Landuse

Disconnect with land-use planning is a major
problem
– Mixed land-use is preferred but needs planning
 Zoning for schools
 Health-care facilities etc.

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Technology

Mobile phone based information on:
– Traffic condition
– Bus routes

Attractive options for public transport
– Common fare card

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 The Way Forward?

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Planning Process

Goals and objectives

Alternative formulation

Evaluation of alternatives

Performance measurements

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Planning Process

Goals and objectives: Missing

Alternative formulation
– Very often Missing
 Need to think beyond local solutions

Evaluation of alternatives
– Must be based on models/analytical methods rather
than on common sense approach

Performance measurements: Missing

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Acknowledgement

Dr. Shamsul Hoque, Professor, Department of
Civil Engineering, BUET

Md. Sohel Mahmud, Research Assistant, Accident
Research Institute, BUET

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