Stricter rules on the cards for new highrises with 100+ vehicle trips an hour

The Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority mulls introducing guidelines for new multi-storey building and housing projects generating over 100 vehicle trips per hour during peak time, mandating comprehensive design elements such as clearly marked entry and exit points. 

It presented a draft of the new guidelines during a public hearing held at its headquarters in the capital yesterday.

Officials said the proposed measures are aimed at ensuring efficient traffic management and adherence to urban planning standards.

Yead Rahman Nirzhar, assistant architect of Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority, told TBS, "We currently have an existing law that requires prior permission for the construction of 10-storey buildings. The new guidelines will be applicable to any building that generates 100 vehicle trips per hour during peak time."

He added that this is still in the initial stage of development. "Further discussions with stakeholders and experts will be held, and the draft guidelines will be revised, if needed, accordingly before finalisation."

According to the draft guidelines, the building projects must adhere to strict design standards, which also include standardised footpath heights for uninterrupted pedestrian movement, parking for different types of vehicles with 5% of space kept for guests, dedicated access for emergency vehicles, directional road markings and cautionary signage within project areas.

The guidelines mandate that the traffic circulation designs adhere to key regulations, including the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC-2020), Detailed Area Plan (DAP) of Dhaka Metropolitan Area, Private Residential Projects Land Development Rules-2015, Fire Prevention and Extinguishing Rules-2014, Dhaka Metropolitan Building (Construction, Development, Preservation and Removal) Rules-2008, Highways Act 2021.

The housing projects must integrate specific traffic infrastructure features, including internal roads connecting seamlessly with surrounding road networks and minimum road widths of 32 feet in residential areas with designated sidewalks and utility spaces.

Corner plots in the building projects must ensure clear visibility and may require separate ingress and egress lanes to avoid traffic disruptions.

Large housing developments must also submit detailed traffic impact assessments and demonstrate compliance with trip generation and road capacity standards.

Besides, for projects near highways or expressways, the guidelines stipulate a 10-metre setback from the road right-of-way, no direct access to highways and inclusion of service roads or traffic bays.

Additionally, the draft guidelines underscore the importance of traffic impact analysis for major projects.

A 12-member "Traffic Circulation Clearance Recommendation Committee" will be established to evaluate applications and provide recommendations for approval based on the compliance of submitted designs with the guidelines.

Following the presentation, stakeholders recommended that the guidelines be more specific and emphasised the need for proper coordination with all relevant authorities to ensure a smooth and expeditious passage of the project.