Travel demand management suggested to cut capital’s gridlocks

Travel demand management, a way to manage traffic by reducing travel demand or redistributing the demand in a particular time, can immediately minimise gridlocks in Dhaka, urban planners have suggested.

The association of the planners – Institute for Planning and Development (IPD) – came up with the recommendation at a dialogue on Tuesday as the capital was facing severe traffic congestion for the last couple of days thanks to the reopening of all the educational institutions.

"For example, we can reschedule time-tables of school-college, markets and others to effectively reduce traffic on roads in particular time and areas," Adil Muhammed Khan, executive director of the institute, said while explaining the travel demand management.

The public transportation system should be reshaped immediately keeping pace with the travel demand, he added.

Several other eminent city planners and officials from government and non-governmental organisations took part in the virtual dialogue on Dhaka's traffic situation.

The benefits of the travel demand management system were reflected in different cities across the globe, especially in Europe, over the last several decades. It is a cost-effective alternative to maximise the efficiency of the transportation system, according to different foreign studies.

Presenting the keynote at the event, Adil Muhammed Khan said Dhaka's transportation system should facilitate the movements of pedestrians, cycles, buses, and community-based paratransit.

"Currently, the capital roads see 6-7 times higher vehicles than their capacity, which is the main reason behind the accelerated congestion. Besides, the lack of cooperation between development agencies results in 30-40% system loss in capacity," he added.

The IPD placed more than 20 suggestions for the long-term solution of the capital's traffic management system, apart from the short-term one.  

"Dhaka's traffic system can be brought under discipline with reconciliation of the plans of physical development and road communication development," said Md Ashraful Islam, project director of the Detailed Area Planning (DAP).

He emphasised the planned development of the city, especially in commercial areas.

IPD senior official Mohammad Ariful Islam criticised the recent proposal of DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam to allow vehicles on roads based on their even-odd registration numbers and said it was not a solution at all. "The car owners can buy alternative-number-cars to ensure their movement all the time," he added.

Additional Superintendent of Police (Development) Chowdhury Md Jaber Sadek believes design and plan-based solutions are imperative for good traffic management in the capital, particularly in busy intersections. "Besides, indisciplined vehicle parking needs to be addressed soon," he added.

"The majority of the initiatives or projects taken over the last years to minimise traffic problems in the capital have fallen flat as they [projects] served a few groups," said Obaidul Islam, who represented Save the Children.

He urged the government to protect the interests of the masses.

Key recommendations

The key recommendations of the IPD are: Rationalising bus routes as early as possible, developing a network of public transports, promoting community-based paratransit, prioritising pedestrians, bringing rickshaw and other non-mechanical vehicles under discipline, preventing passengers boarding here and there and fixing car parking places and bus stoppages.

Besides, it also suggested discouraging car purchases by individuals and formulating implementable strategies to effectively reduce the gridlocks.

The IPD emphasises inclusion and implementation of school zoning, community car parking, separate bicycle lanes and others in the Detailed Area Plan. It also called for an improved traffic signalling system.