DUTP and traffic jams

However, we would have thought that demographic, environmental and other projections were made before the DUTP was formulated and taken up so that it did not lose relevance by the time it will have been implemented. We can only help matters now by making up for at least some of the lost time by accelerating the pace of project execution. There was 'lack of institutional expertise at the DUTP from the very beginning', so has stated the executive director of the Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB). Why was not anything done to bridge the gap?

The random earmarking of special lanes on the peripheries of arterial roads has worked positively for cities where the road mileage is reasonably large. But Dhaka has road coverage measuring approximately about eight per cent of the total city area which falls far below the minimum stipulated ratio between road span and city's land area. So the 'channelisation' of roads for taking left or right turns can only have a palliative effect. The situation is being further compounded by the widening the road dividers.

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We do need a new network of by-passes. Let's think of underground, surface and overhead expressways to free up movement of vehicles on an extensive scale. But whatever we go for, must have the sanction of urban experts, albeit within the overall framework of a thoroughly updated city master plan.