Making Dhaka liveable
It has often been said that to delay a project, let a committee deliberate on it; while to put it into cold storage permanently, pass it onto an expert committee(s). The sketchy reports of the deliberations of the Expert Committee in the above Round Table that appeared in the DS, 12 Oct 08, obviously make little sense, since the major hurdles hindering the management of Dhaka's transport nightmare have hardly been mentioned.
A workable transport system must cater to the masses in two broad and separate spheres. First, MTS (Mass Transit Systems) that runs on, over or under main arterial roads and rapidly transports masses of people to stations near their ultimate destination. This includes subways, freeways, MRT, BRT and any other RT you care to invent. The second one is point-to-point transport that is equally important and carries just as many people over short distances from their homes to school, offices, shops etc and back again. Not surprisingly all attention was focused in the Round Table on the first, as it is more glamorous and involves thousands of crores of taka, huge construction contracts, long gestation periods and more scope for 'you know what'. The second is the more humble poor cousin involving CNGs, taxis, walking and I hate to say the word, dreaded by our planners, designers and implementers alike rickshaws. Private cars belong to both categories but how many in Dhaka can afford multi-million taka gas guzzling monstrosities that cost thousands to maintain and run every month?
The Roundtable however, did come up with some interesting figures: Dhaka has only 1) 250 kms of roads fit for large-scale bus operations, out of 2,200 kms. 2) 2,000 large and 4,000 mini buses whose condition is well-known, 3) An inflated figure of 400,000 rickshaws and suppressed figure of only 150,000 motorized vehicles plying the roads, with another 1,800 getting registered ever month (BRTA says 100-150 per day). 4) A lot of useful advice, like decentralization, drainage, short term solutions (what?) etc etc.
What was NOT mentioned was 1) The 250-300,000 rickshaws provide livelihood to about 20-25 lakh rickshaw-related people and families; and cheap, fast, easily available and pollution-free mobility to another 25-30 lakh people of modest means every day i.e. half the city's population. Their contribution to GDP is over Tk.10 crore every day. 2) Motorized transport i.e. cars, buses, CNGs, small human haulers, taxis number over 300,000, including over 250,000 private cars (recent DS reports). Private cars occupy 80% of road space while carrying less than 2% of the privileged class at astronomical cost. They park everywhere in blatant disregard to existing traffic laws and blow their horns and flash their blinding lights in utter disdain. Thousands do not even pay fitness or registration taxes. They contribute nothing to society except air and noise pollution, reduced foreign exchange reserves, congestion at Chittagong Port (also Mongla now, DS 22 Oct) and frayed nerves. 3) The less said about buses, minibuses (most are museum pieces), taxis (invisible), CNGs (arrogant), the better. 4) Dhaka has only 7% road area instead of the normal 25-30%, 5) STP ? Call us after 20 years.
Short-term strategies were mentioned but not elaborated. Where the recommendations of the Round Table can be obtained is a mystery. The Roundtable recommended walking for everyone, but where are the free and even footpaths, street-lights and protection from mugging? I am in no doubt about the academic and intellectual capacities of the participants, but did they have the basic qualification to seek to arrive at the solution for the mobility of the masses? Did they walk or take a rickshaw or CNG to the roundtable? If no, where did they park their expensive cars?.
At least you injected a note of sanity to the proceedings by putting 'emphasis on concentrating on solutions to the problems rather than discussions' and perhaps, I might add, strictly implementing existing traffic laws. But how can a weak (demoralized?) force do that (The IGP said that, not me)?
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