Dhaka Transport
Dhaka is one of the fastest-growing megacities in the world. A population of just 3 million in 1971 has ballooned to 18 million today. This unprecedented urban growth has resulted in a city more densely inhabited than Tokyo, Shanghai, Mumbai, or any other major city.
The capital’s growth partially represents the progress of the Bangladesh economy, which has grown at over 6 percent annually. The city’s transport system, however, hasn’t kept up, and Dhaka now has some of the worst traffic congestion in the world.
Proposed Strategies
| Strategy | Takas of benefits per taka spent |
|---|---|
| Transport infrastructure for Dhaka | 3 |
| Bus Priority for Dhaka | 6 |
Dhaka’s Future Urban Transport: Costs and Benefits of Investment in Public and Private Transport
Research by Robert Gallagher, a transport planner and South Asia specialist, explores alternative options for Dhaka’s future urban transport.
Transport and movement in the city has become a major problem. There are simply too many vehicles trying to move on the existing roads, and traffic jams lasting hours are not uncommon."
- Rob Gallagher
The smartest ways to deal with traffic congestion in Dhaka
In a series of op-eds published in The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, Bjorn Lomborg outlined the key findings of the path-breaking research produced by the Bangladesh Priorities project.
Two major factors contribute to Dhaka's current traffic congestion: lack of planning and preparation over previous decades, and an over-reliance on cars due to a deficient public bus system."
- Bjorn Lomborg
