Dhaka - Flyovers and Roads [Archive] - Page 3

sayem

June 5th, 2008, 03:22 PM

Govt mulls mass transit system for Dhaka
Thu, Jun 5th, 2008 6:11 pm BdST

Dhaka, June 5 (bdnews24.com) –The caretaker administration is considering a number of alternative schemes to reduce traffic jams in the capital, with a mass transit system high on the agenda.

Chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed attended a meeting at the Old Airport in Tejgaon Thursday, where he was brought up to date with the latest proposals.

"A number of short term-initiatives have been taken to reduce traffic jams in Dhaka," said the chief adviser.

"A mass transit system for Dhaka is also being considered to assist in transporting large numbers of people at the same time," he said.

The chief adviser said a recent meeting of the council of advisers had accepted the Strategic Transport Plan.

One of the proposed projects is a link-road between Tejgaon Old Airport and Rokeya Sarani, which Fakhruddin said would be implemented soon.

"I hope it will be completed before the deadline. The coordinated development project in the Hatirjheel area, including Begunbari khan, is also important from an environmental point of view."

The chief adviser went on to say work on the link road between Zia Colony and Mirpur Cantonment is progressing well. He was also hopeful that a proposed bridge on the Gulshan–Banani Lake would further mitigate traffic jams in the capital.

Fakhruddin stressed the need to improve the traffic signalling and management system throughout the capital.

"We will succeed in making a qualitative improvement in the traffic management of the capital," he said.

Also attending the meeting was local government, rural development and cooperation adviser Md Anwarul Iqbal, who blamed unchecked and unplanned urbanisation for the state of Dhaka's road system.

He said 1.21 lakh new vehicles are coming on to the roads every year, which is exacerbating a situation already worsened by old and unfit vehicles not being removed.

"Bus routes in the capital need to be minimised, and private buses brought under recognised companies," said Iqbal.

Dr Md Shamsul Haque, from BUET, appraised the chief adviser of several projects currently being considered to improve the traffic situation.

"If 10 of the projects are implemented the traffic jams would ease. However, long term projects are necessary to remove traffic jams throughout the country. This requires time and money," said Haque.

"We can only save Dhaka by implementing long term projects," he added.

The 2.6 kilometres Airport-Rokeya Sarani Link Road is estimated to cost Tk 2492.57 lakh, and will be 53 feet wide.

The meeting was told the construction of the road would end in December this year.

bdnews24.com/mrf/eh/am/1808 hours

sayem

June 5th, 2008, 03:24 PM

double post

manbil777

June 6th, 2008, 01:16 AM

CA Fakhruddin shaheb was opining on NTV today about two things -- relieving traffic Jam using subway, human-hauler and also talked about some kinda congestion surcharge for downtown Motijheel areas.

I'm curious about how they're going to pull off the latter. Surely they must not be thinking about this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch_%27n_Go)?

I believe in Bangladesh the most proven system should be used -- which is the contactless card for touch 'n go or Oystercard in the UK. A radio based card will not be practical for catching infraction-cheaters in Dhaka.

meghnarmajhi

June 8th, 2008, 09:24 AM

human-hauler meaning those ugly 8+ seaters? those should be banned.

amar11372

June 8th, 2008, 12:28 PM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v437/type_r_rx7/where%20am%20i/crazytraffic.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff140/naticaro/Dhaka/44d8.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e232/kay_tee_bee/P1010092.jpg

amar11372

June 8th, 2008, 12:41 PM

http://clip2net.com/clip/m7984/1212921596-clip-417kb.jpg

http://clip2net.com/clip/m7984/1212921623-clip-334kb.jpg

nayeem007

June 8th, 2008, 10:06 PM

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y23/nayeem007/1-1.jpg

nayeem007

June 8th, 2008, 10:18 PM

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y23/nayeem007/8.jpg

meghnarmajhi

June 8th, 2008, 10:22 PM

Nice pictures of krishnachura and radhachura

manbil777

June 9th, 2008, 05:42 AM

In LA -- there is a type of 'Lilac' colored tree as well (very similar). I'll have to do a search on it.

meghnarmajhi

June 9th, 2008, 07:26 AM

krishnachura is called peacock flower in english. maybe they have them in la too

amar11372

June 9th, 2008, 08:00 AM

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/126/358193488_429e1467d8_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3115/2563583180_0efbf08ab7_b.jpg

meghnarmajhi

June 9th, 2008, 03:37 PM

Amar and Nayeem posted a lot of nice pictures.

manbil777

June 10th, 2008, 10:18 PM

krishnachura is called peacock flower in english. maybe they have them in la too

I haven't seen Krishnachura in LA Majhi Bhai but Hawaii has a lot of them plus Radhachura as well. The Hawaiians told me that these trees were imported alongwith some birds (e.g. Shalik) from India by the British in the mid 19th Century.

Here's the Jacaranda Tree -- very common in LA. Very similar profusion of colors but the flower is a lot smaller than the Krishnachura flowers. I think we can import it to dryer climates in Bangladesh. The tree does not like waterlogged roots.

http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn110/manbil9/Jacaranda1212.jpg

tanzirian

June 11th, 2008, 02:41 AM

Nice pictures of krishnachura and radhachura

I thought krishnachura was called gulmohar in English?

tanzirian

June 11th, 2008, 02:54 AM

I haven't seen Krishnachura in LA Majhi Bhai but Hawaii has a lot of them plus Radhachura as well. The Hawaiians told me that these trees were imported alongwith some birds (e.g. Shalik) from India by the British in the mid 19th Century.

Here's the Jacaranda Tree -- very common in LA. Very similar profusion of colors but the flower is a lot smaller than the Krishnachura flowers. I think we can import it to dryer climates in Bangladesh. The tree does not like waterlogged roots.

I think there are some purple flowering trees along Minto Rd...my choice for prettiest street in Dhaka...though I don't know the name. Here in SE US some nice flowering trees include Flowering Plum and Dogwood...since it is hot and humid here I think they could also survive in BD.

manbil777

June 11th, 2008, 09:51 AM

I thought krishnachura was called gulmohar in English?

You probably mean 'Gulmohar' in Hindi :)

The English name for Krishnachura is 'Royal Poinciana' and the horticultural name is 'Delonix Regia'.

meghnarmajhi

June 11th, 2008, 11:57 PM

You probably mean 'Gulmohar' in Hindi :)

The English name for Krishnachura is 'Royal Poinciana' and the horticultural name is 'Delonix Regia'.

I think peacock flower is also a name for krishnachura. here is a page i have found:

http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Peacock%20Flower.html

Off the topic:
===============
You must be familiar with Salim Ali's "Book of Indian Birds"?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FXKC5T94L._SL500_BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg

Salim Ali is a genius. He has the names of the birds in all different languages of the subcontinent. Anybody aware of any similar book on flowers?

manbil777

June 12th, 2008, 02:28 AM

You must be familiar with Salim Ali's "Book of Indian Birds"?

I sure am Majhi Bhai -- but haven't gotten serious about bird photography yet. There are local clubs (in fact dozens of birder clubs) but I have too many peripheral interests to take up a new one. And yes Dr. Salim Ali is a genius. I haven't seen a similar book on Indian flowers yet. BTW the linked site was a good find.

Interior ministry is in vehement opposition of any more time-killing hobbies :lol:

manbil777

June 12th, 2008, 02:40 AM

I think there are some purple flowering trees along Minto Rd...my choice for prettiest street in Dhaka...though I don't know the name. Here in SE US some nice flowering trees include Flowering Plum and Dogwood...since it is hot and humid here I think they could also survive in BD.

They probably would TAN -- maybe you can carry some seeds or cuttings with you next time you go. I'm planning to take some of the Hawaiian species with me next time I go. We all need to do our part to beautify Dhaka.

manbil777

June 12th, 2008, 02:45 AM

deleted: double post

meghnarmajhi

June 12th, 2008, 08:37 AM

Another book recommendation:

Professor Md. Abdul Jabbar's "Tara-Porichiti".

A very good book on Astronomy. It's not a kiddie book. You'll find the names of extra-terristrial objects in Bangla, Arabic, and a few other languages. I can't remember the name of the English version. It was first published by Bangla Academy. I bought a copy of the book from Bangla Academy stall in an Ekushe boi mela in 80s. The book has been recently reprinted by Bangladesh Astronomical Society - lead by Dr. A. R. Khan of DU Physics Department.

manbil777

June 12th, 2008, 11:13 AM

Have to look that one up -- sounds interesting. After all the Arabs are credited with inventing the astrolabe...so they may have named stars after all.

amar11372

June 27th, 2008, 02:58 AM

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3259/2602901369_9a67d4fa22_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/2602886863_63b5219ba8_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3042/2602886179_2e8d63679c_b.jpg

amar11372

June 27th, 2008, 02:58 AM

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3170/2603718152_958f46a9fb_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3015/2603727424_0aebfe7b33_b.jpg

meghnarmajhi

June 29th, 2008, 07:02 AM

very nice pictures, amar

Skyprince

June 29th, 2008, 04:12 PM

Great pics. I don't get it why all BDshis in my circle said Dhaka is "too crowded" ? I found it relatively uncrowded after Bangkok.

Dhakaiya

July 2nd, 2008, 09:46 AM

So you too had been unfortunate enough to face the infamous Bangkok traffic jam, Skyprince? :) I sort of like that place except for the jams.

amar11372

July 3rd, 2008, 01:24 AM

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj50/amar11372/5722.jpg

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj50/amar11372/5723.jpg

amar11372

July 3rd, 2008, 01:26 AM

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj50/amar11372/5738.jpg

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj50/amar11372/5736.jpg

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj50/amar11372/5726.jpg

phaedrus

July 5th, 2008, 10:46 PM

Great pics. I don't get it why all BDshis in my circle said Dhaka is "too crowded" ? I found it relatively uncrowded after Bangkok.

and mumbai

amar11372

July 17th, 2008, 04:03 AM

By: Ershad Ahmed

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj50/amar11372/5803.jpg

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj50/amar11372/5815.jpg

amar11372

July 17th, 2008, 04:03 AM

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj50/amar11372/5817.jpg

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj50/amar11372/5697.jpg

Skyprince

July 17th, 2008, 08:34 PM

So you too had been unfortunate enough to face the infamous Bangkok traffic jam, Skyprince? :) I sort of like that place except for the jams.

in BKK the traffic is extremely horrible, I found Dhaka traffic, though quite congested on weekday evening rush hour, nothing compared to the former .
But BKK is nothing compared to what I encountered in Cairo grrrr....

Anyway kewl Amar keep em coming . If you don't mind , i would like to know which location does each pic belong to :D

amar11372

July 17th, 2008, 11:39 PM

Anyway kewl Amar keep em coming . If you don't mind , i would like to know which location does each pic belong to :D

lol, I really have no clue what the locations are. :lol:

tanzirian

July 18th, 2008, 12:45 AM

in BKK the traffic is extremely horrible, I found Dhaka traffic, though quite congested on weekday evening rush hour, nothing compared to the former .
But BKK is nothing compared to what I encountered in Cairo grrrr....

Anyway kewl Amar keep em coming . If you don't mind , i would like to know which location does each pic belong to :D

I know where many of them are, but it would take too long to go back and describe each one. So, if any specific photo interests you, just point it out...and we'll try to ID the location for it if we know it.

TIslam

July 18th, 2008, 01:14 AM

I know where many of them are, but it would take too long to go back and describe each one. So, if any specific photo interests you, just point it out...and we'll try to ID the location for it if we know it.

And how long you've been out of the country? :uh:

Skyprince

July 18th, 2008, 03:33 AM

lol, I really have no clue what the locations are. :lol:

I know where many of them are, but it would take too long to go back and describe each one. So, if any specific photo interests you, just point it out...and we'll try to ID the location for it if we know it.

It's okay, but for oncoming pics it will be great if u guys can state which location of Dhaka the pic was taken :D . Esp the southern half of Dhaka city where I've never been to.

tanzirian

July 18th, 2008, 03:58 AM

And how long you've been out of the country? :uh:

Come on, it's not that hard...most of the pics are Kawran-Gulshan-Banani-Mohakhali-Shahbagh-Motijheel and maybe Dhanmondi. Those areas are pretty easy to pick out by the buildings or roundabouts.

amar11372

July 18th, 2008, 09:33 PM

Govt to implement eastern bypass project at own cost

Fails to attract donor for the Tk 2,750 crore mega project
Taib Ahmed

http://clip2net.com/clip/m7984/1216409678-clip-25kb.jpg

The government has decided to implement the Dhaka Integrated Flood Control Embankment-cum-Eastern Bypass Road Multipurpose Project with its own fund as it failed to manage any donor to finance the Tk 2,750 crore mega project.

The government, however, will welcome donor agencies to fund the project even at a later stage, official sources said, adding that the Bangladesh Water Development Board has already sent the project proposal to the water resources ministry.

The project proposal was finalised after Halcrow Group Limited, UK in association with the Housing of Constant Ltd Bangladesh and Centre for Environment and Geographical Information Services had conducted a feasibility study, sources in the WDB said.

The main objective of the project is to protect the people in the 124 square kilometres eastern part of the Dhaka city from flooding, they said, adding that improving the road infrastructure is the second prominent goal of the project, expected to begin under the current fiscal and to be completed by 2016.

The project area is surrounded by the Tongi Khal at the north, Dhaka-Demra Road at the south, the Balu River at the east and Pragati Sarani at the West, they said.

Although the World Bank initially agreed to fund the project, it later retreated on ground of non-implementation of the project without a master plan, a precondition set by the bank for funding the project, sources said.

The Eastern Bypass, as experts and the bank believe, will be another concrete jungle in the eastern side of the capital unless it is implemented without a well-designed master plan.

‘As lending agencies declined to fund, we have decided in principle to start the project with our own funding,’ Liaquat-al-Faruque, chief engineer of the Water Development Board, told New Age on Thursday.

‘We have already sent the project proposal to the ministry and the government is working on arranging the fund internally.’ The Bangladesh Water Development Board, Roads and Highways Department, Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, Dhaka City Corporation, Local Government Engineering Department, forest department, Department of Environment and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha will be the implementing agencies of the project, he said.

According to the project proposal, there will have seven regulators in 24 kilometres long flood control embankment-cum-eastern bypass of the city and three pumping stations to drain out waters from six retention points.

Setting up of two water control structures has also been suggested in the proposal for the project, which will require acquisition of 1,556 hectares of land in the area.

The Eastern Bypass Project was taken by water resources ministry in 1998, but it could not be implemented due to unavailability of funds. The project’s initial estimated cost was Tk 2,476 crore.

The original project also included planned Dhaka City Circular railway and road. Some 70 hectares of land was also acquired for this project.

Urban planners believe that traffic congestion in the city would be eased significantly with the implementation of the eastern bypass project. The transports from northern and southern parts of the country will be able to bypass Dhaka through the Tongi-Demra Road.

http://www.newagebd.com/2008/jul/19/met.html

amar11372

July 18th, 2008, 09:36 PM

http://www.newagebd.com/2008/jul/19/met-b.jpg

manbil777

July 19th, 2008, 04:50 AM

Thanks for enlarging the map Amar :)

This is the most ambitious news I've heard about Dhaka City in the last ten years.

It's a wonderful opportunity to build a proper freeway and set aside watershed drainage, while planning residential and commercial areas according to a zoning principle.

This is also a great time for private developers to join hands with the govt. to buy land and build larger master-planned residential communities like in the rest of the world.

For this local developers will need to seek help from expert city planners like HOK (http://www.hok.com). Every planned city-project these guys did in the subcontinent in the last five years is spectacular (about ten large projects).

nayeem007

July 19th, 2008, 05:10 AM

Airport Road

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y23/nayeem007/DSC00710.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y23/nayeem007/DSC00711.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y23/nayeem007/DSC00714.jpg

amar11372

July 20th, 2008, 03:48 AM

Bridge over Gulshan lake (Under Construction)

By aging disgracefully

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3249/2669182488_f1033aa78a_b.jpg

manbil777

July 25th, 2008, 06:12 AM

This is one way Seoul solved the traffic congestion on their roads, by using Bus Rapid Transit which is 1/4th as expensive as Subways. Sometimes it can supplement subway traffic as well by acting as an extension.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vr4VDX1VVyI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vr4VDX1VVyI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Some have provided an argument that the BRT (Bus Road Transit) buses are too big and can't turn around in Dhaka streets. Chinese and European cities these operate in are far more congested and roads are a lot narrower so BRT buses are capable of navigating narrower roads. However they usually serve straightline main thorughfares like Dhaka's airport road and maybe Dhanmondi Satmasjid Road.

The big advantage over a subway is of course cost. Five of these buses can carry a similar number of passengers like a Subway train yet the equivalent cost is one-third. No one in Bangladesh is in support of it because,

a. They have no idea how practical this is
b. They cannot make money (or percentage depending on which side of the corruption you're on) off of a specialized (and hence) costly solution

The infrastructure (roadway) is already there -- just divide it up and take advantage of the lanes (inward or outward) to carry large numbers of passengers.

I'm surprised Swedish Motors hasn't promoted this yet.

See example here in Hangzhou China (as seen -- there is a dedicated lane for the long buses, divided up by a painted rubber or concrete barrier),

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ALBNUJhbCYM&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ALBNUJhbCYM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Here are images. The biggest advantage of Bus Rapid transit is that it does not need rails or sleepers, no need for overhead or third-rail electric supply (CNG buses are available). Also each bus can carry a good 200 people which is a lot more economical than subways. This could at least be a stop-gap measure before subway gets constructed. All larger Chinese cities have BRT. New Delhi and Bangalore already have BRT systems as well.

http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn110/manbil9/U2006_1106.jpg

http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn110/manbil9/Volvo_7800_China_2008.jpg

Shown above are 7300 and 7800 series articulated city buses. The last picture shows the 7800 assembled by Chinese Volvo assembler Sunwin (http://www.sunwinbus.com/sunwin_english/about/about.aspx?languagetype=1) (Shanghai).

manbil777

July 27th, 2008, 10:19 PM

I think peacock flower is also a name for krishnachura. here is a page i have found:

http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Peacock%20Flower.html

Off the topic:
===============
You must be familiar with Salim Ali's "Book of Indian Birds"?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FXKC5T94L._SL500_BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg

Salim Ali is a genius. He has the names of the birds in all different languages of the subcontinent. Anybody aware of any similar book on flowers?

Majhi Bhai, found a site (http://www.birding.in/dr_salim_ali.htm) for you...

meghnarmajhi

July 28th, 2008, 09:17 PM

Majhi Bhai, found a site (http://www.birding.in/dr_salim_ali.htm) for you...
wowwww. nice ste. thank you.

manbil777

August 17th, 2008, 06:41 AM

Here's a cross-link to a much talked-about project in a neighboring country that is close to my heart -- a Bus Rapid Transit Implementation in New Delhi. This project follows the lead of numerous projects in Colombia, Brazil, China etc.

I know -- our roads are a lot narrower than Delhi's and I know that they had a lot of pains with the implementation in the last two years (people in the whole subcontinent have very little discipline or civic sense).

But my point is -- if it can be done in Delhi then why not Dhaka? What is it that we lack that they don't? Especially knowing that a finished Subway is years away and the population and traffic pressure in this city has exceeded all reasonable limits (Dhanmondi to Banani take two hours now?).

With that thought, here's the link (please see the next page as well). BTW these green and red ones (the red ones are aircon equipped) are Newer ultra-low-floor buses from Tata.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=613414&page=7

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/8070/delhibrtyd0.jpg

manbil777

August 22nd, 2008, 07:28 AM

Traffic advisories from the Govt. on the radio, Digital information boards?

Too hard to believe? You decide!

Actually I have no doubt about the grandiose projects which have always been planned like this before -- it's the ordered (and planned) execution that falters sometimes....

Traffic control room to tackle Dhaka gridlock

"Thu, Aug 21st, 2008 8:51 pm BdST

Dhaka, Aug 21 (bdnews24.com) - The government Thursday decided to introduce a modern traffic control room in the capital which would, among other measures, take into consideration the timetable of educational institutions to mitigate the city's worsening jams.

"To reduce traffic jams, the timetables of schools' morning classes will be prepared on a local basis," Fahim Munaim, the chief adviser's press secretary, told reporters after a cabinet meeting at the Chief Adviser's office

"The education ministry would then fix a schedule and send letters to the schools. The ministry will also monitor whether the decisions are being followed," said Fahim.

Among the other measures to be implemented is the instillation of 175 closed circuit cameras in the capital, to be monitored from the central traffic control room.

"A liaison officer would be in charge of the room, and he will maintain contact with private radio stations which will air news of potential gridlocks," he said.

In addition, four digital information boards will be installed around the city where travel advice and warnings will be displayed.

"The police will also identify specific parking zones for vehicles in the city. Legal action will be taken against anybody parking outside these areas," said the chief adviser's press secretary.

Further measures finalised by the interim cabinet include setting up five road side areas, or 'bus bays', by Sept 30 for buses to pick up passengers without halting traffic. The number of these bays is to be increased in the future.

The city corporation has also been directed to place garbage containers in a less haphazard way and ensure they do not hamper the flow of traffic.

"The LGED ministry has been given responsibility to monitor whether the city corporation is properly carrying out its work," said Fahim.

"From now on there will be no road repair works in daytime. All such road works will be done at night, and contractors will have to complete their work by a specified time. If not, they will have to pay a fine."

"Inter-district buses must depart from terminals, and trucks will only enter Dhaka after 9pm," he added." -- from BDnews24 (http://www.bdnews24.com/details.php?id=60287&cid=2).

Roshen

September 3rd, 2008, 07:38 PM

Dhaka looks so green, I wish they would add more plants and flowers in Colombo.

manbil777

September 6th, 2008, 08:53 PM

Dhaka looks so green, I wish they would add more plants and flowers in Colombo.

The mayor has to take the initiative (in Dhaka's case that's what happened)- but landscaping and flowers are expensive projects. Once done though -- the upkeep is inexpensive. I'm sure it rains a lot in Colombo so tropical plants can be kept up very nicely.

manbil777

September 6th, 2008, 09:16 PM

I just ended up downloading the Bus Rapid Transit Planning Guide -- all 65 MB of it.

Here's a page showing some implementation cost comparisons (in US$ Million per KM) of BRT vs. other modes (Subway etc.). BRT can also be implemented in less than two years while subways take up five to ten years. I sincerely hope they go for BRT in Dhaka first to ease some of the traffic issues -- this needs to replace the rickshaws from the main thoroughfares immediately.

http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn110/manbil9/BRTcosts.jpg

manbil777

September 6th, 2008, 09:47 PM

Here's two more pages explaining why Bogota's (Colombia) BRT System peak capacity is 45,000 Passengers per peak hour (similar or better than subways). This is excellent utilization of buses which costs one tenth or less than a subway infrastructure. The only reason Metro rail failed in Bangkok and Manila is because they carry one percent of the traffic while receiving 95%+ of city rapid transit funding. The majority of people (95%) still can't afford any more than a bus-fare, much less subway or elevated metro.

The problem is -- there's very little kickback to be had from BRT ;) , except from maybe the bus manufacturers (even then how much do buses cost anyway?). People pushing metros (Like that big Canadian Airplane manufacturer who make subway systems) are obviously ready to hand out big kickbacks (knowing how expensive metro rail or subways are).

http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn110/manbil9/BRT2.jpg

http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn110/manbil9/BRT3.jpg

manbil777

September 7th, 2008, 06:21 PM

I haven't seen the actual Dhaka Strategic Transportation Plan yet -- but if these guys have some sense (no guarantee), they will construct the main Elevated Rail route (on the street median) on Airport Road Starting in Shahbagh all the way to Uttara (North-South main route) and then feed it from communities left and right along the way using Buses on East-West routes like Elephant road, Panthapath, farm-gate, Chairmanbari (Kemal Ataturk Ave.) etc. One Elevated Rail route like this will be expensive (US$50 Million per KM) but worth it as it will consolidate a lot of passenger traffic (35,000~45,000 passengers) at peak hours. Comparatively - BRTS costs US$ 1~1.5 Million per KM but can still accommodate 25,000 to 35,000 PPH.

Motijheel to Gabtali via Dhanmondi should have another heavy BRTS route of course, with side feeders using smaller BRTS routes. Motijheel buses going through Elephant road can feed the Elevated rail starting in Shahbagh/Ramna. Any further south would prove to be a problem with space.

I sincerely hope they do some Route-Demand Analysis using GIS software. There is plenty of GIS expertise available in Dhaka from the various flood control projects and this could be done quite easily.

dopekhor

September 7th, 2008, 06:41 PM

manbil777

September 8th, 2008, 04:25 AM

dude where is the space for all that?

There is space.

Baby Taxi or Mishuk three wheelers take up a lot of space now and are a lot slower (and way more polluting) than a bus. One bus can theoretically take away the occupant space of about fifty three wheelers (practically thirty five). If you see that in a picture then you realize how much road space you save using a bus. The savings are even more using articulated buses or double deckers that seat about 160.

Once you provide a cheaper and convenient option, people take to buses instinctively. For example -- if a middle class office-goer can take an A/C express bus from Shahbagh to Kemal Ataturk for Taka 30 and the Three wheeler charges Taka 100 (I don't know the exact rate now) -- the choice is pretty clear. On the plus side -- you can read or work on your laptop in the bus. Try that on the three wheeler. And the safety issue on a three wheeler is another thing.

The bus runs on its own dedicated lane. Airport Road and Mirpur Road have three lanes each way and will be able to accomodate a center lane each way for these buses. All you need is the center-most lane coming and going. This is removable later when elevated rail comes in. BRTS works great as either permanent or as a cheap stop-gap option.

I understand the concerns about space (considering the bad planning done by our city planners on narrow roads so far). But judging from pictures and considering the dedicated lane -- cities where BRTS was implemented, Kunming, China and Lima, Peru at least don't have any wider roads than Mirpur road or Airport Road.

The point is you have to look at the issue and find solutions. Three wheelers are not a permanent transport solution for a modern city. Baby taxi, mishuk and small pickup trucks are temporary informal services but they cannot be a permanent organized solution from a pollution or safety standpoint.

One other thing about buses is that the luxury buses can give office-going people options to avoid parking altogether because where most offices are in Dhaka, parking is non-existent now anyway (problem will get more acute in the future).

amar11372

September 8th, 2008, 06:39 AM

http://clip2net.com/clip/m7984/1220848493-clip-124kb.jpg

-Judging from this pic, it seems like BRT lanes are not efficiently utilized and causes worse traffic in private car lanes. At least the STP has a provision for all three mode of trans. (Metro, BRT, and elevated.)

-By the way do you happen to have a copy of the Dhaka STP manbil777?

manbil777

September 17th, 2008, 10:31 AM

-Judging from this pic, it seems like BRT lanes are not efficiently utilized and causes worse traffic in private car lanes. At least the STP has a provision for all three mode of trans. (Metro, BRT, and elevated.)

-By the way do you happen to have a copy of the Dhaka STP manbil777?

No man, sorry -- I don't have a copy. I don't think it's been published on the web yet. Maybe it will be -- but it will come up on the United Nations sites first.

Initially all BRT installations suffer growing pains because the three wheelers (or other informal transport like tempos) are still running while two or four lanes are taken away (in our case probably two lanes with very small bump barriers). Eventually bus riders get converted from three wheelers and three wheelers numbers are reduced to make room for more cars (or banned -- which may be the case in Dhaka if bus is really successful).

If you see the picture above, I can easily visualize this on Satmasjid road or Bijoy Sarani.

nayeem007

January 14th, 2009, 03:58 PM

Some new designs in roundabouts I noticed in Dhaka..

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y23/nayeem007/DSC01044.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y23/nayeem007/DSC01041.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y23/nayeem007/DSC01040.jpg

meghnarmajhi

January 14th, 2009, 08:34 PM

beautiful roundabouts

Dhakaiya

January 15th, 2009, 05:25 PM

Anyone knows what they are doing about the roundabout infront of the airport?

Zaki

January 15th, 2009, 06:53 PM

manbil777

January 17th, 2009, 09:51 AM

I have to disagree with the BRT idea. The volume of traffic due to the sheer population is very high and the number of people actually owning cars is very low percentage wise. This creates a situation where public transit is massively utilized while traffic is still high. having a BRT system run through some of Dhaka's streets, though will reduce maybe CNGs in the long run, the traffic level will still continue to increase and having a BRT system on the road will not allow the road to expand in the future creating a larger traffic problem. I think Dhaka has enough people looking for public transit to support a full blown subway system since what the population is really looking for is reliable transit and subways are one of the most reliable forms of public transit around. Subways will also generally run faster and leave room for expansion in the roads while reducing the number of three wheelers. Though the starting expense and maintenance is quite high, if they choose a cut and build plan like new york i believ ethey can build the Dhaka system relatively fast, and quite cheap compared to world standards and I am sure companies like Bombardier (the canadian company you were referring to) would provide financial discounts for an LDC in order to get their product into more markets.

I think some may have misread what I was trying to put across.

The idea is to put in a coordinated transport plan -- which includes both BRT and Subways, among other transports. They are not an either-or proposition, they should ideally complement each other to provide movement.

Subways can't go everywhere and they're stuck in their fixed stations underground -- you need secondary feeder routes like BRT to take passengers from subways and feed them to different points from each station. On the pro-side, Subways are very good at hauling passengers incredibly fast over fixed routes (much more so than buses). Subways are also not too weather-affected in most countries (especially like the Kolkata cut-n-cover types).

BRT is a lot cheaper as a secondary feeder compared to other surface transports like monorail etc. (when you consider cost per per mile of installing bus roadways -- compared to super-expensive fixed monorail track). For third level or tertiary feeder routes you can always use Rickshaws or foot traffic. Singapore is too advanced an example but Jakarta or even Delhi (already described) maybe somewhat comparable scenario where they use BRT (TransJakarta (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TransJakarta)), and plan joint use with subways which is coming soon.

But the idea of mass-transit is to move people in units like Millions of passengers per hour at minimum cost. BRT excels at this because it is high volume yet low cost to start out initially. The equipment is common, low cost and not specialized. At the other end is Monorail which is super expensive and has already flopped everywhere it was put in.

Talking about Dhaka scenario -- it may seem that Buses take up a lot of space, but they actually don't. One BRT bus carries 75 passengers in relative comfort (A/C available!). If you count 1.5 passengers per rickshaw, that's 50 rickshaws -- which are a lot more in volume on the road than a BRT bus. Plus rickshaws slow down traffic to a crawl, buses don't. Talking CNG's and smaller taxis which -- while not slow, are still noisy, polluting and a nuisance. If you remove CNGs, Taxis, Tempos and Rickshaws -- then Buses won't take that much space. In fact for longer hauls buses are a lot cheaper than any of these other modes of transport.

I honestly think if you gave these drivers driving slow inefficient transports an alternative career then they'd gladly take it (which is gradually happening). However -- keeping rickshaws and CNG's around and not getting rid of them through slow attrition is literally costing us hundreds of million of dollars in lost productivity (it's been proven in many studies). It's time we took a bold political step and got off this populist bandwagon gradually.

I have nothing to lose or gain from any of this -- the idea is to present open facts so the appropriate and optimal decision can be made.

Zaki

January 18th, 2009, 12:56 AM

^^ O sorry I thought you meant we dont need subways at all while i agree with your view where we need both subways to act like arteries and buses feeding into those arteries. Toronto has a very similar system and though our subways are over capacity at the moment (they are building seven more lines so that should be fixed) the basis of the system works extremely well and i think is perfect for Dhaka.

On a side note I do not however support the removal of the rickshaw. Rickshaws are clean, they are efficent at what they are designed to do, get people across SHORT distances, and most of all, they are historic to Dhaka and I think Dhaka needs to protect one of the few positive historic characteristics it has. Rickshaws work great for getting people from their bus stop to their doors. I do agree though that they should be banned from all highways and major arterial roads.

meghnarmajhi

January 18th, 2009, 02:00 AM

Zaki

January 18th, 2009, 02:10 AM

I like rickshaws except when they clog the highways and major roads. They can create big mess when they gather in big number waiting for fare - like in "pharom gate" area. One thing is true though - rickshaws have made us lazy. I remember taking rickshaws from Curzon Hall to go to Arts Faculty or Public Library near Shahbagh or even Fazlul Haq Hall. That's sad.

They've already banned them from some major roads if I am not mistaken though I dont think the ban is very strictly enforced.

And using a rickshaw for a minutes walk, for shame :ohno: :banana:

amar11372

January 18th, 2009, 03:47 AM

anyone know if any metro system is profitable in the world? or every single one have to be subsidized.

TIslam

January 18th, 2009, 05:31 AM

anyone know if any metro system is profitable in the world? or every single one have to be subsidized.

Apparently there are four in the world, all in Asia:

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/metro-marvel/220605/

amar11372

January 18th, 2009, 06:04 AM

Apparently there are four in the world, all in Asia:

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/metro-marvel/220605/

Thanks for the article. Do you happen to have more details about the finances of these 4 metro?

TIslam

January 18th, 2009, 08:00 PM

Thanks for the article. Do you happen to have more details about the finances of these 4 metro?

No, that was the only info. I could find. I'll look around and post if I find anything.

mirzazeehan

October 22nd, 2009, 11:15 PM

All highways to be made
four-lane ones
United News of Bangladesh . Dhaka

The communications minister, Syed Abul Hossain, Thursday said all highways across the country would be made four-lane ones to minimise road crashes.
'We're repairing and widening the highways to reduce the risk of accidents,' he said while addressing a rally organised by 'Nirapad Sarak Chai'.
The minister said the government wanted to make all highways, including Dhaka-Chittagong Highway, secure for the travellers. He said the work order for making the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway four-lane one would be issued within the next two months.
Abul Hossain said road fatalities would come down in many cases, if the existing the 2-lane highways, were made 4-lane ones with dividers.
Nirapad Sarak Chai chairman Ilias Kanchan also spoke on the occasion.

samaruf

October 22nd, 2009, 11:33 PM

mirzazeehan

October 22nd, 2009, 11:45 PM

Are montri bhai, age ekta 4-lane complete koro, then plan for other ones. This is the same guy who didn't see any jams on the existing roads :mad2:

Not really,he just said yesterday that "Awami League has been in power for 9 months and the govt. couldn't improve the traffic situation.That is why we want to implement the projects quickly"

nayeem007

November 17th, 2009, 08:15 PM

32.5 km Elevated Expressway
$2b project up for tender today
Sharier KhanThe Ministry of Communications is finally floating tender today for building an elevated expressway of 32.5 kilometres or more in Dhaka on a public private partnership (PPP) basis.

The Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) under the ministry will receive pre-qualification documents for this $2 billion project from interested bidders till January 20.

A tender evaluation committee will select qualified bidders on the basis of several criteria and the pre-qualified bidders would then be asked to submit their bids for financing and construction of the project. The qualified bidders would arrange necessary finances for the project.

“We want to make significant progress in this project within the tenure of the government,” said Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain.

“The traffic situation in the city is a mess. A party's popularity in Dhaka decides the party's fate in the election. So our political commitment is to make this happen within our term.”

He said, "We started the project overcoming serious difficulties. We had waived some government rules so that it does not get tangled in red-tapism."

The applicants should have experience and financing capabilities to construct expressways, toll roads and bridges on Build, Operate, Transfer (BOT) or Build, Own, Operate, Transfer (BOOT) or PPP basis with combined value of not less than $500 million over the last 12 years.

One of the criticisms of this tender process is that it lacks a feasibility report. But according to Hossain, the Strategic Transport Plan (STP) stands as a feasibility report cum a guideline for undertaking large infrastructure projects in the capital of 13 million people with a density of 6,200 persons per square kilometre. Dhaka's population is projected to double in the next 20 years.

But the STP is not exactly a feasibility report for such elevated expressway project. Framed in 2005 by Louis Berger Group, USA and Bangladesh Consultants Ltd, the STP was approved by the government in March 2008 as a strategic paper to improve the capital's transport infrastructure. The STP touches upon other large-scale concepts like subway and rapid transit systems.

“Our tender documents include a provision for the bidders to conduct their own feasibility study for this project,” the minister clarifies. “No investor would put their money in a large project like this unless s/he is sure of financial returns,” he adds.

A panel of local and foreign experts will review the feasibility studies to be submitted by the bidders, he said.

The minister argues that the project will slow down if it starts off with a feasibility study.

In the past, some projects like maglev train saw feasibility study without any result while the communication ministry had wasted money for such studies.

In the current project, the investor will design and implement the expressway to encourage public transport and high occupancy vehicle by offering preferential usage rates and also preferably by segregating exclusive bus lanes. The investor will aim at relieving traffic congestion in the city. Its design will be sensitive to environment and the society.

To pre-qualify, the investors may form consortiums and provide information about their background, history of financial performance including audit reports of the last three years and list of professional employees with resume indicating their major professional experience.

The bidder will have to show experience in general construction in the field, constructing at least 10 km of elevated expressway, constructing elevated expressway/railways in major cities with specific achievements in traffic control and diversion and utilities relocation during the execution of the construction work with a combined value of $500 million or more in the last 12 years.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=114505

Astronomy

November 18th, 2009, 07:32 AM

^^

“We want to make significant progress in this project within the tenure of the government,” said Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain.

Translation: We want to milk as much money as possible for our cronies from this project before the people get tired of us and vote in BNP again. But don't worry, five years later they'll get tired of BNP and give us another chance to make money again!!! What a fantastic deal ... the Bangladeshi people are like a gift that just keeps on giving.

sidkings

November 18th, 2009, 06:16 PM

^^

Translation: We want to milk as much money as possible for our cronies from this project before the people get tired of us and vote in BNP again. But don't worry, five years later they'll get tired of BNP and give us another chance to make money again!!! What a fantastic deal ... the Bangladeshi people are like a gift that just keeps on giving.

Its a terrible cycle that in my oppinion is hampering all aspects of the countries development.. Infrastructure, industrial growth & poverty allieviation in particular. :ohno: Imagine the possibilites in all these fields if the corruption factor was taken out.

I think the responsability is now on the people to try and hold those crooks accountable, but as the majority are simply powerless or lack the willingness to do anything.. this will remain the future of Bangladesh for a long time.

TIslam

November 18th, 2009, 07:37 PM

Its a terrible cycle that in my oppinion is hampering all aspects of the countries development.. Infrastructure, industrial growth & poverty allieviation in particular. :ohno: Imagine the possibilites in all these fields if the corruption factor was taken out.

I think the responsability is now on the people to try and hold those crooks accountable, but as the majority are simply powerless or lack the willingness to do anything.. this will remain the future of Bangladesh for a long time.

Part of the problem also lies with the fact the a significant population of the urban middle class is of the "if you can't lick them, join them" mentality. Far too many given in readily to the "red tape" and become part of the (corrupt) system.

Frankly, I don't see any way out of it. I'm almost to the point where I would like to concur with people like Mirza and others, who contend that we (Bangladesh) simply have to push forward and grow (develop) in spite of corruption.

sidkings

November 18th, 2009, 11:20 PM

Frankly, I don't see any way out of it. I'm almost to the point where I would like to concur with people like Mirza and others, who contend that we (Bangladesh) simply have to push forward and grow (develop) in spite of corruption.

Its so frustrating becuase its almost like people have totally accepted that its a necessary evil :mad2: More & more people sink into this quagmire.. and its at every level, top down from the government to the common man.. No country can succeed if the foundations are based on a disease like corruption.

Still things are soo bad, and we've reached such a low I think that things can only get better.. :)... I hope..

I wonder how many millions are being siphoned off in these major projects??

amar11372

November 19th, 2009, 09:27 AM

http://edailystar.com/contents/2009/2009_11_19/content_zoom/2009_11_19_1_10_b.jpg

Skyprince

November 19th, 2009, 01:37 PM

nayeem007

November 19th, 2009, 04:51 PM

Frankly, I don't see any way out of it. I'm almost to the point where I would like to concur with people like Mirza and others, who contend that we (Bangladesh) simply have to push forward and grow (develop) in spite of corruption.

We need to push our GDP growth rate to 9-10% for the next 20-30 years to see significant difference in standard of living in Bangladesh. 5-6% growth is good for middle income countries with a small population, but for a country of 165 million with 30% people under poverty line, our job is much harder.This is feasible as shown by China, South Korea or Malaysia.

The government's only role should be in providing proper infrastructure(roads, highways, electricity, gas) and ensuring rule of law (through law enforcement agencies + financial security regulations in capital market using SEC). The private companies can then accelerate the growth..

Btw, do you think corruption leads to backwardness/underdevelopment of a country? or is it the lack of economic progress that creates corruption? (i.e as nation progresses, corruption subsides). From the CPI, there seems to be a very strong correlation between percapita GDP and corruption. All developed nations with high income like Japan, Singapore, US are ranked lower and developing nations like Kenya, India, Bangladesh ranked higher..

If CPI index was available in 50s and 60s, we could have figured that out easily by checking corruption ranking of South Korea and Malaysia, when they were developing nations.

sidkings

November 19th, 2009, 07:31 PM

The government's only role should be in providing proper infrastructure(roads, highways, electricity, gas) and ensuring rule of law (through law enforcement agencies + financial security regulations in capital market using SEC). The private companies can then accelerate the growth..

I agree entirely. This is the least we should expect, but at times it would appear that even providing the bare minimum for a country to function is simlpy unachievable. The failure of successive govts..

just filling potholes, providing pavements, basic public amenities... would be a good start and would go along way in improving quality of life for city dwellers, let alone multi billion dollar projects.

I think corruption can be open or discret.. in the case of B'desh its just so blatant. What makes it shocking is that its accepted as the norm (very dangerous) as there's no accountabilty and the next man is just as corrupt, its a cycle..

HereWeGo

November 19th, 2009, 08:31 PM

I agree entirely. This is the least we should expect, but at times it would appear that even providing the bare minimum for a country to function is simlpy unachievable. The failure of successive govts..

just filling potholes, providing pavements, basic public amenities... would be a good start and would go along way in improving quality of life for city dwellers, let alone multi billion dollar projects.

I think corruption can be open or discret.. in the case of B'desh its just so blatant. What makes it shocking is that its accepted as the norm (very dangerous) as there's no accountabilty and the next man is just as corrupt, its a cycle..

Sometimes it doesnt hurt being a little optimistic. If govt doesnt do anything than people blame them for not doing their job and if they decide to implement a project than it is only because they want to steal money from it....

really people..we should change our habits too....

samaruf

November 19th, 2009, 08:48 PM

nayeem007

November 19th, 2009, 11:23 PM

Sometimes it doesnt hurt being a little optimistic. If govt doesnt do anything than people blame them for not doing their job and if they decide to implement a project than it is only because they want to steal money from it....

really people..we should change our habits too....

Government is there for a reason, so ofcourse it has function in a country. It should be heavily involved in increasing tax base and using that income to build infrastructure(roads, highways, electricity etC) and also it's the duty of the government to provide security of the citizens through law enforcement agencies. The govt should also aggressively protect the business rights(through Security Exchange commission), as growth of industries create employment. FInally, the overall defense(airforce, navy, army) comes under the purview of government too.

But government should not get involved in other aspects of a country like nationalizing all corporations and making them inefficient in the process.(T&T, Biman, Adamjee, Khulna newspaper mill are golden examples of that). State controlled industries did not work in Soviet Union, China, India, North Korea.. and it's not going to work in Bangladesh either.

sidkings

November 20th, 2009, 12:16 AM

TIslam

November 20th, 2009, 02:07 AM

Government is there for a reason, so ofcourse it has function in a country. It should be heavily involved in increasing tax base and using that income to build infrastructure(roads, highways, electricity etC) and also it's the duty of the government to provide security of the citizens through law enforcement agencies. The govt should also aggressively protect the business rights(through Security Exchange commission), as growth of industries create employment. FInally, the overall defense(airforce, navy, army) comes under the purview of government too.

While these are quite reasonable expectations, they have transformed into rather lofty goals because they have become unattainable in the near future. The basic problem lies in the fact that nobody in Bangladesh thinks "country first", most think "me first" instead. The politicians aren't the sole contributor to this problem rather, just a part of the it.

But government should not get involved in other aspects of a country like nationalizing all corporations and making them inefficient in the process.(T&T, Biman, Adamjee, Khulna newspaper mill are golden examples of that). State controlled industries did not work in Soviet Union, China, India, North Korea.. and it's not going to work in Bangladesh either.

T&T existed as a government entity prior to the birth of the nation and Biman was established as a government sector corporation, both very much being part of the government. While I agree that those can be poster children for inefficiency and mismanagement, the mere fact that an entity is government owned/operated does not necessarily make them so. North Korea is an aberration as a country so setting it aside, the state continues to control and/or operate many industries in the other countries you listed, some being quite profitably. Any kind of dogma (e.g. capitalism good, socialism bad, socialized medicine bad, anything government run is bad and so on) is anathema to me, be it left, right or center.

nayeem007

November 20th, 2009, 02:46 AM

The basic problem lies in the fact that nobody in Bangladesh thinks "country first", most think "me first" instead. The politicians aren't the sole contributor to this problem rather, just a part of the it.

I am not sure if there is a group of people anywhere in the world that thinks of "country first". Migration/immigration of Mexicans, Indians and Bangladeshis to US or Algerians, Moroccans to Europe clearly shows the tendency to go to a better place by foresaking interest of one's own country. There could be few idealist who considers country first.. but they are few and far between.

But I do agree that even after thinking of personal benefit first, one can still help the country. Good examples would be expatriates setting up schools or business at home country.

T&T existed as a government entity prior to the birth of the nation and Biman was established as a government sector corporation, both very much being part of the government. While I agree that those can be poster children for inefficiency and mismanagement, the mere fact that an entity is government owned/operated does not necessarily make them so. North Korea is an aberration as a country so setting it aside, the state continues to control and/or operate many industries in the other countries you listed, some being quite profitably. Any kind of dogma (e.g. capitalism good, socialism bad, socialized medicine bad, anything government run is bad and so on) is anathema to me, be it left, right or center.

Can you please mention one government run entity in Bangladesh that has been operated profitably over the years? (only exception would be military run organizations like "Machine and Tools factory" but they are not managed by civil bureaucracy).Whether you pick TITAS, DESA or karnaphuli Paper mill, the situation is the same. Inefficiency, corruption and bad service.

But there could be some areas like healthcare and public transportation, where in developing countries like Bangladesh, government involvement may be needed (even though the service will be poor and the organizations unprofitable). It is better to have a hospital for the general mass with extremely bad service (patients dying due to negligence, no proper equipments etc), than having no option for them atall. Similarly, crapy BRTC service with 40year old buses and Tk 2 tickets may be the last option for a hawker who needs to move from Gulshan to New market. The government will have to run such organizations with subsidy, knowing that they will not be profitable but will have some social benefit.

TIslam

November 20th, 2009, 06:18 AM

I am not sure if there is a group of people anywhere in the world that thinks of "country first". Migration/immigration of Mexicans, Indians and Bangladeshis to US or Algerians, Moroccans to Europe clearly shows the tendency to go to a better place by foresaking interest of one's own country. There could be few idealist who considers country first.. but they are few and far between.

But I do agree that even after thinking of personal benefit first, one can still help the country. Good examples would be expatriates setting up schools or business at home country.

I agree that hyperbolic slogans like "country first" is just that, and specially, if one wishes to engage in study of human behavior or anthropology but having said that, if that was an absolute truth then countries that have marched ahead in terms of economic and human development couldn't have done so if all of them were always thinking "me first" in every aspect/respect. Expatriates involved in altruism is a good example. As a matter of fact, it isn't restricted to that group of people. My late father, who wasn't rich by any stretch of imagination, was engaged/involved in such activities most of his life. The Mohammadpur Preparatory (Girls) School (I understand it is a college/university these days) owes its existence primarily to him and two of his friends.

Can you please mention one government run entity in Bangladesh that has been operated profitably over the years? (only exception would be military run organizations like "Machine and Tools factory" but they are not managed by civil bureaucracy).Whether you pick TITAS, DESA or karnaphuli Paper mill, the situation is the same. Inefficiency, corruption and bad service.

I did not contend that any or most of government organizations in Bangladesh are managed well and perform well. It would be foolish to argue that. My contention/objection was to "labeling", i.e. a public entity by its nature is inefficient and therefore undesirable. While such is the overwhelming case in Bangladesh, it does not automatically extend to other countries around the globe. That was my point.

nayeem007

November 20th, 2009, 06:58 PM

^^ I was only talking in the context of government entities in Bangladesh not rest of the world...

But public enterprises in general are less profitable than private ones, simply due to misalignment of incentives. Most government jobs are taken as granted with little to no chance of getting laid off, thus employees put minimum effort. I do agree that there could be some exception like Indian Railway, they are a profitable government enterprise.

King Nothing

November 20th, 2009, 07:26 PM

But government should not get involved in other aspects of a country like nationalizing all corporations and making them inefficient in the process.(T&T, Biman, Adamjee, Khulna newspaper mill are golden examples of that). State controlled industries did not work in Soviet Union, China, India, North Korea.. and it's not going to work in Bangladesh either.

There is one thing that government needs to nationalize and that is the natural gas fields in the bay of bengal and coal/gas/oil fields elsewhere. They cannot be handed over to foreign companies. BAPEX and PetroBangla can do the extraction job well.

Also the idea that privatization is always efficient isnt true. Look at the US healthcare industry its all private-sctor run and its inefficient thats what it is.

Also VINASHIN the ship-building company in Vietnam producing the majority of the ships is a government enterprise. So is the main ship-building company in China. The healthcare sector in Cuba is not privatized I would believe and its great.

nayeem007

November 22nd, 2009, 01:03 AM

There is one thing that government needs to nationalize and that is the natural gas fields in the bay of bengal and coal/gas/oil fields elsewhere. They cannot be handed over to foreign companies. BAPEX and PetroBangla can do the extraction job well.

I would recommend to have an IPO of BAPEX and PetroBangla. Being publicly traded companies with a board of directors and shareholders pushing for value creation will make the institutions more efficient(Just compare the service of a private bank like HSBC, Prime Bank to government run Sonali Bank). At the same time, this will prevent the loss of power of critical energy sector to foreign companies. But at the end of the day BAPEX and PetroBangla will have to partner with foreign multinationals to an extent because they don't have the technology for major excavation.

Also the idea that privatization is always efficient isnt true. Look at the US healthcare industry its all private-sctor run and its inefficient thats what it is.

Also VINASHIN the ship-building company in Vietnam producing the majority of the ships is a government enterprise. So is the main ship-building company in China. The healthcare sector in Cuba is not privatized I would believe and its great.

Privatization only works when there is proper market competition along with rules and regulations. That is why many nations have "antitrust laws" that prevents firms from colluding on price or creating an environment that does not foster competition. This is critical for the market to work efficiently. A big company that has monopoly of a certain industry segement will have the exact affect as a government entity. Due to lack of competition they will become less innovative and will start charging higher for low quality products.

US Healthcare is still much better than the complete communist/socialist systems present in countries like Soviet Union or China. Infact even today, no other country can match the medical innovations that has come out of US(be it in the field of prescribed drugs or advanced surgical instruments). The issue regarding thousands of uninsured Americans arose due to a different reason of tying Medical insurance to job(which was done after WW 11 by corporations to help employees, i.e providing healthcare instead of increasing salary that will put them in higher tax bracket). But now it has come back to bite everyone at the back..

But as I said earlier, healthcare can be an exception as it deals with fundamental need of a society, Bangladesh government can run some programs to help the poor people. Those facilities might not be worldclass, but something is better than nothing. But in other industries like paper,jute,telecommunications I don't see the reason to keep state enterprises that has amassed millions in debt due to inefficiency.

nayeem007

November 22nd, 2009, 04:59 AM

Dhaka gets automated traffic signals from Sunday
http://www.thedailystar.net/latest_photo/2009/11/22/2009-11-22__signal.JPG

Dhaka, Nov 21 (bdnews24.com) – Dhaka city drivers will have to obey new automated traffic lights from Sunday, operating on an experimental basis at more than 50 junctions across the capital, or face strict penalties.

DMP has long been trying to improve the city's signal system and drivers' compliance to properly manage traffic, but they have failed so far.

More traffic lanes will also be introduced from December, Shyamal Mukharjee, DMP assistant commissioner (public relations) told bdnews24.com on Saturday.

Penalties will be strictly imposed for violating signal and lane rules, including fines and suspension of driving licenses, he said.

Mukharjee said there were lights at 59 junctions in Dhaka at present. "Of these, 9 out of 10 have been useless up to now, as drivers take no notice of them."

"This is about to change. Traffic in the capital will be strictly controlled by the new automated traffic lights from Nov 22-28," Mukharjee said.

"DMP will launch one huge publicity campaign to persuade people to obey the signals," he said.

He said a driver failing to comply with a signal will be fined Tk 1,000 and their driving license will be suspended for three months, he said.

Further steps would be determined, "if this fails to ease traffic gridlock," he said.

Otherwise, the new light signals and fines will be maintained.

'3-lane systems'

Some of the wider roads in the city will introduce three lanes of traffic, experimentally, from Dec 1-7, with fines to be effective subsequently, said Mukharjee.

He said vehicles of VIPs, private cars, microbuses and jeeps will drive along the furthest right lane.

Buses, trucks and covered vans in the middle lane, and auto-rickshaws, human haulers and tempos will use the left-most lane.

From Dec 8, violators will be fined Tk 1,000 and a three months ban on their license, he said.

Initially, special traffic police teams would be deployed at 12 points in the city to detect lane and signal violations. The number of teams will be increased after the experimental period.

Mukharjee said Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner AKM Shahidul Haque met with traffic police officials on Saturday to finalise all details. Earlier, on Nov 18, DMP discussed the issues at a meeting with transport owners.

http://bdnews24.com/details.php?id=147509&cid=2

sidkings

November 22nd, 2009, 12:58 PM

Its a good initiative to try and get traffic moving again,but long overdue I think. I guess we'll have to see what happens.

It comes down to how well they are ENFORCED above all else, as we know many drivers are illiterate and may struggle with reading signs or understanding how the new lanes work etc...

Initially it will be chatoic as people get used to the idea, but without a traffic enforcer at every junction, will people adhere to the new rules and traffic lights??

You may have seen this clip before but i think it illustrates the state of affairs on Bangladesh's roads.. and highlights the urgency of these new traffic measures.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPDixVDkaq4

TIslam

November 22nd, 2009, 04:32 PM

sidkings

November 22nd, 2009, 06:26 PM

While I applaud the initiative, nothing much will come of it.

I can understand what you're saying about it being perhaps "too little too late" but given the circumstances and the current situation there has to be some headway made in this matter.

I hope this initiative isnt some kind of knee-jerk reaction to shut up critics and that they do follow through and make attempts in trying to get the city moving..

Manazir

November 22nd, 2009, 06:57 PM

^^
i guess ppl will be more pissed off due to long waiting

nayeem007

November 22nd, 2009, 08:03 PM

Traffic goes haywire
Lack of awareness and respect for law, out of order signal lights fail automated system initiative on first day

Traffic flow heading for Phulbaria can't move forward despite a green signal at the city's Zero Point yesterday as vehicles from the left are still entering the intersection violating a red light. Photo: Shawkat Jamil
Staff CorrespondentThe city dwellers suffered increased traffic mess on the first day of using automated light signals due to people's lack of awareness, their tendency to break it and the system's failure to work in sync.

Moreover, traffic signals at several intersections were found out of order while Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) stopped manual control from yesterday.

The existing automated traffic signals will not be effective unless they are synchronised and traffic infrastructures are enhanced, said a traffic department engineer of Dhaka City Corporation preferring anonymity.

Rezaul Khan, a Kalabagan resident, had to wait for 50 minutes yesterday in front of city's Square Hospital on Panthapath due to faulty signal and congestion at Russel Square.

“A signal light remained red for 21 minutes and then the on-duty traffic police had to override it,” said Khan.

Sheikh Enamul Hasan of Mughda got stuck in the traffic jam on the Khilgaon flyover along with his class-VIII student son, who was on way to attend final examination at Willes Little Flower School in Kakrail, and at one stage Enam had to ask his son to go on foot.

A daily commuter from Uttara section-14, Syed Hasan said he had to spend around two and a half hours to reach Karwan Bazar yesterday though it usually takes him less than an hour.

“I had to wait in the traffic gridlocks at Khilkhet, Natun Bazar, Banani and all the way from Mohakhali to Karwan Bazar,” said Hasan.

The DMP on Saturday decided that they would switch from old-school manual control to traffic light signals to ease traffic congestion in the capital.

Now, traffic officials will not halt normal flow of vehicles to make passages for the VIPs except for the president and the prime minister.

DMP will also demarcate major roads for movement of different modes of vehicles from December 1 to check overtaking, congestion and road accidents.

DPM Commissioner AKM Shahidul Haque told reporters yesterday that they had decided to activate the automated signalling system to restore image of the traffic police whose manual control is often partially blamed for traffic congestion.

Only a swing towards automated signals will not give optimum benefit until the city's traffic infrastructure is enhanced, he said while replying to a question.

“However,” he said, “we are trying to make people accustomed to the automated signalling system.”

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=115225

nayeem007

November 22nd, 2009, 08:06 PM

^^ The above was expected in the first day. But DMP should not get discouraged but push forward with the plan. They just need to identify the flaws like non functional signals, lack of awareness among public and work to fix them.

Dhaka is the capital and gateway to Bangladesh, on top of that it is the financial and cultural hub aswell. Automated signal alone cannot fix the traffic mess, we need long term infrastructure projects like subway, flyovers etc. But these small measures are important aswell.

TIslam

November 22nd, 2009, 09:44 PM

^^ The above was expected in the first day. But DMP should not get discouraged but push forward with the plan. They just need to identify the flaws like non functional signals, lack of awareness among public and work to fix them.

That is a tall order for a dysfunctional, inept and thoroughly corrupt organization like DMP.

Dhaka is the capital and gateway to Bangladesh, on top of that it is the financial and cultural hub aswell. Automated signal alone cannot fix the traffic mess, we need long term infrastructure projects like subway, flyovers etc. But these small measures are important aswell.

Every incremental step would go a long way as long as strict enforcement of laws, and rules of law are exercised. That I do not see happening in Bangladesh, not even over few a generations.

sidkings

November 22nd, 2009, 10:38 PM

I think changing things overnight perhaps was'nt such a good idea. A change of this magnitude requires much advanced preperation.. for example leafleting, radio annoucements, TV ads, Bill boards and just word of mouth several weeks before hand... this outcome was to be expected to some extent. The question is, are these early teething problems to the new congestion solution? or is this how things are going to pan out for a long time to come..

One things for sure and thats that THERE HAS TO BE efforts made to tackle this problem the alternative is that it gets even worse...

sidkings

November 22nd, 2009, 10:39 PM

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TIslam

November 23rd, 2009, 12:08 AM

I think changing things overnight perhaps was'nt such a good idea. A change of this magnitude requires much advanced preperation.. for example leafleting, radio annoucements, TV ads, Bill boards and just word of mouth several weeks before hand... this outcome was to be expected to some extent. T...

You probably hit the nail on the head. I can recall, before the seat belt law changed in Michigan from passive to primary, i.e. police can pull you over for not wearing the seat belt, and cite you, as the primary reason, the state government started publicizing through the media months, if not years before the actual law kicked in.

Once again, isn't it illustrative of the law enforcement establishment/GoB itself?

fallstuf

November 23rd, 2009, 12:30 AM

nayeem007

November 24th, 2009, 06:57 PM

100 school buses in two months
Govt keeps faith in automated signals in controlling city traffic

Bss, Dhaka The government will continue to control Dhaka's traffic using automated signals and introduce 100 specialised school buses in next two months to ease traffic congestion in the city.

The decisions came from an inter-ministerial meeting chaired by Home Minister Sahara Khatun at the home ministry yesterday.

There are only 70 automatic traffic signals in the city of which 59 are now in operation and the rest 11 are inoperative.

The meeting instructed the concerned authorities to make the inoperative signals operational immediately, meeting sources said.

It also decided to introduce automatic traffic signalling system at all intersections of the capital within the shortest possible time.

The meeting, after reviewing operation of the ongoing automatic traffic signal system that started from Sunday following a decision of the parliamentary standing committee on home ministry, decided to continue it instead of manual operation.

The system will run in two modes--one during peak hours and another during off-peak hours. It could be readjusted considering speed and flow of vehicles running on the roads.

The automatic traffic signalling system was earlier controlled by the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) but from now on it would be controlled by Traffic Department of the DMP, the sources added.

A Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) representative told the meeting that it will introduce 100 specialised buses for students within the next two months to reduce traffic congestion in the city's Gulshan, Banani, Uttara and Dhanmondi areas.

The buses will carry students from selected bus stops and reach their schools and colleges like the Dhaka University transport system.

The BRTC will also procure 400 more buses for the purpose to lessen pressure on private cars for carrying students in those areas, the official added.

According to an official of the home ministry, the government, like developed countries, is contemplating imposing restriction on the use of more than one private car by a family to reduce the traffic congestion.

The government may impose additional tax on those who will use more than one private vehicle, the official added.

The DMP will launch a weeklong motivational campaign from December 1 to encourage drivers to obey the automatic traffic signalling system, the meeting sources said, adding that the police will take stern actions against the drivers who will violate the signalling system from December 8.

The meeting also laid emphasis on smooth coordination between the DCC and the traffic department of the DMP.

Home Secretary Md Abdus Sobhan Sikder, chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority and BRTC, director general of Bangladesh Railway, chief engineer of DCC and DMP commissioner, among others, attended the meeting.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=115462

nayeem007

November 25th, 2009, 07:32 PM

Jatrabari flyover construction to begin December
Mustafizur Rahman

The much-awaited construction of the Gulistan-Jatrabari fly-over will begin in December as the Awami League-led government has revived the Public-Private Partnership project, and it is likely to be completed in two years by a UAE-based construction company. The fly-over is expected to decrease traffic congestion in the city to a considerable extent.
The LGRD and cooperatives ministry on Wednesday at a meeting ordered the Dhaka City Corporation to ensure that the construction of the fly-over, which has been primarily estimated to cost Tk 700 crore, begins in December this year.
‘Construction of the proposed Gulistan-Jatrabari flyover will begin in December…Legal complications will be addressed and utility service-related problems will be solved soon,’ said the DCC’s chief engineer, Brigadier General Abdul Quadir, after the meeting.
The interim government in March 2008 scrapped the 8.5 kilometre fly-over project, initiated by the BNP-led alliance government, because of alleged forgery of documents by construction company Belhasa-Accom JV and Associates Ltd.
The LGRD and cooperatives minister, Syed Ashraful Islam, while presiding over the meeting on the progress of the fly-over project, asked the authorities of the utility services — the Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd, Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Ltd, Titas Gas and Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authority — to submit their plans with estimated costs for removal of their infrastructure from the area that will be occupied by the proposed fly-over before 20 December, 2009.
The minister told the meeting that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was expected to formally inaugurate the construction of the fly-over in the first week of January.
Secretary to the local government division Manzur Hossain and the construction company’s representative Obaidul Karim, along with others, attended the meeting.
The meeting was told that 20 lakh people would be affected in case of any disruption in WASA’s water supply due to the proposed construction in city’s busiest areas, said an official.
The chief engineer said that the design of the fly-over was being changed in keeping with the latest development projects such as the Padma Bridge and Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane highway.
‘We will have to change the design and the alignments also in view of the new development projects, like the Padma Bridge and the Dhaka-Chittagong highway…The government will have to negotiate with the construction company anew to protect the country’s interest,’ project director and DCC’s superintending engineer Md Ashiqur Rahman told New Age after the meeting.
He claimed that implementation of the fly-over project, the preliminary work for which started in 1997, was facing no impediments at present.
However, he said that there was misunderstanding over the project which had created controversy during the tenure of the Fakhruddin-led interim government.
The Prime Minister’s Office had earlier ordered that the project be resumed without any delay, taking into account the urgency of managing the heavy traffic after implementation of Padma Bridge and expansion of the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway.
The DCC sent a letter to the LGRD and cooperatives ministry on 9 September, 2009 in which its chief executive officer recommended implementation of the project in accordance with the existing contract signed with UAE-based Belhasa Accom and Associates Ltd.
The DCC in April 2003 floated an international tender for construction of the fly-over and signed an agreement with Belhasa Accom under build-own-operate-transfer system on 21 June, 2005. The concessionaire was given permission to operate the fly-over and collect pre-approved toll for 24 years on completion of the project within three years.
The estimated cost of the project was Tk 670 crore and it was the first instance of private sector participation in infrastructure development of the country. The amount of toll to be collected over the 24-year period under the BOOT scheme was expected be about Tk 4,000 crore, according to the estimate of experts.
The foundation stone was laid in June 2006. The concessionaire issued an arbitration notice on 6 January, 2008 to the DCC due to problems in handing over the site to the firm. It filed an arbitration suit on 5 February, 2008 and the DCC appointed the arbitrator. On 31 March, 2008 the DCC declared the contract null and void. It also filed a case on 7 April, 2008, seeking execution of its notification issued on 31 March, 2008 declaring the contract null and void.
As both the arbitration suit and the case filed by the DCC are yet to be disposed of, no fresh tender process for the project can now be initiated, as the DCC reportedly opined in its letters to the PMO and LGRD ministry.

http://www.newagebd.com/2009/nov/26/front.html

nayeem007

December 9th, 2009, 09:14 PM

New traffic rules show some hopes
Congestion eases as drivers start following rules in fear of penalty

http://www.thedailystar.net/photo/2009/12/10/2009-12-10__back03.jpg
Vehicles are seen trying to follow the lane system on the Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue in the city yesterday, which resulted in a slight improvement of congestion. Inset, a traffic sergeant fines a cab driver for failing to maintain lanes at the Sheraton Hotel intersection. Photo: Star

Helemul AlamDhaka dwellers and commuters started to get some benefit of the new traffic rules yesterday as a good number of drivers, fearing penalties, began to follow the rules on the second day of the new system's implementation.

During visits to different city streets where the new rules have been enforced, it was seen that a good number of vehicles were following the rules, which resulted in the slight improvement of congestion.

The DMP yesterday filed 1,244 cases in connection with traffic rule violations and realised Tk 1,09,300 in fines. Thirty-two drivers were arrested while driving licences of 18 people were suspended for three months. They also seized 22 vehicles.

"I have come to Gulistan from Abdullahpur around 30 minutes quicker than on Tuesday," said Mobarak Hossain, a driver of a Gulistan-Abdullahpur bus."

Bus driver Didar Hossain of Mirpur-12 to Gulistan route said it took him 20 minutes less than usual to get to Gulistan from Mirpur.

"Most drivers are following the new rules today fearing penalties," said Didar appreciating the new system.

However, another driver of Gulistan-Abdullahpur route said he faced huge tailbacks between Dhaka Cantonment and Mohakhali.

Habibur Rahman, driver of an auto rickshaw, said the rules were good but to get the benefit police have to continue the drive, otherwise drivers will not follow them.

"Most drivers in the city are following the rules today and they are maintaining the lanes which is an improvement," said Deputy Commissioner (traffic east) AKM Awlad Hossain.

He said vehicles are stopping at the lights on their own, which was not seen earlier. Traffic police had to stop vehicles by standing in the middle of the road earlier, he added.

"We also saw the left lanes at intersections clear of vehicles and that is something we have not seen before," he said, adding that this indicates improvement in traffic system.

He said they would continue the drive to streamline traffic movement and reduce congestion on city streets.

Twelve DCs have been working at 12 points in the capital. They are using video cameras, he said.

The DMP campaign started Tuesday to force vehicles to use specific lanes on selected streets. Failing to maintain lanes and ignoring signal lights could cost a driver Tk 1,000 in fines and three months' licence suspension.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=117104

nayeem007

December 9th, 2009, 09:17 PM

samaruf

December 9th, 2009, 09:41 PM

Savings of 20-30 mins of commute time is huge. I'm glad we are going home at a time when the rules of the road are being implemented. All it takes is the awareness of the rules followed by some accountability. InshaAllah similar approaches in the other sectors of govt. will also have positive effect.

mirzazeehan

December 10th, 2009, 06:43 AM

Dhakaiya

December 10th, 2009, 12:06 PM

I couldn't agree with you more.The first thing that a foreigner notices after landing in Bangladesh is the chaos in the traffic system.If we can clean this mess and learn to follow the rules,things will look much different from an outsider's perspective.

I am actually pretty impressed that this method seems to be working and even the police so far has been very sincere in implementing it (my own car was filed a case for the lane thing :lol: ) but I was in fact pleasantly surprised to see the rule of law being implemented in our roads. Good step.

Manazir

December 10th, 2009, 05:18 PM

^^
i really hope this continues :)

samaruf

December 10th, 2009, 06:17 PM

I am actually pretty impressed that this method seems to be working and even the police so far has been very sincere in implementing it (my own car was filed a case for the lane thing :lol: ) but I was in fact pleasantly surprised to see the rule of law being implemented in our roads. Good step.

Whenever I go home, I annoy the heck out of our driver because I expect him to obey the road rules when I'm seated next to him. His comeback is we won't reach anywhere on time if we follow the rules as everyone else will take advantage.

I'm glad the cops are taking it seriously and the fines are having an effect but I wonder if things will go lax again and we're back to the same chaos.

Pedestrians should also be fined or may be a little "beter bari" for jaywalking as well as not using the overhead passes. To facilitate proper movement of people, all drug addicts, fakirs, vendors, etc. should be removed from the footpaths and overpasses.

dehorn

December 12th, 2009, 02:29 AM

WOW people obeying the rule of law in BD, now if only this could continue...one can only hope...to all those who do WELL DONE...maybe just maybe things like this will spill over into other aspect of our lives.

fallstuf

December 22nd, 2009, 03:01 AM

I am not sure if the source is reliable. Cause I never I heard of these tunnels before. If you have related information, please post it.

From
http://www.newagebd.com/2009/dec/21/front.html#9

Four tunnels to ease congestion in Dhaka
December 21, 2009

Four tunnels to ease congestion in Dhaka
Staff Correspondent

The Dhaka City Corporation has taken up a plan to construct tunnels at four important intersections in the capital to facilitate smooth movement of vehicles, said official sources on Sunday.

The tunnels will be constructed at Shahbagh, Sheraton, Banglamotor and Sonargaon intersections which are plagued by heavy traffic, according to the decision taken at the meeting held at the DCC on Sunday with its chief engineer in the chair.

A proposal for the envisaged project worth Tk 170 crore, to be implemented in one and a half year, will be submitted to the LGRD ministry very soon, said meeting sources.

The tunnels at Shahbagh and Sheraton will be two-way, going in both directions. The vehicles from in front of the Shishu Park on the Mowlana Bhasani Sarani will cross the intersection through the tunnel on the right, while vehicles from Minto Road will also cross the Sheraton intersection through the left tunnel.

The tunnels at Banglamotor and Sonargaon will also be two-way with two lanes, said sources.

‘If the tunnels are constructed, no congestion at these intersections will be seen again,’ said a DCC official.

The DCC has already consulted the engineers of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in this regard.

The engineers have suggested that the construction of the tunnels should be started immediately to improve the traffic situation and prevent the nagging congestion that kills hundreds of working hours and burns a huge amount of fuel uselessly.

Skyprince

December 22nd, 2009, 05:31 PM

^^ Outside of easing traffic jam, the automated signalling and lane system also improves the image of the capital. After getting out of Zia International Airport, the first impression foreigners have is that of the traffic system.

Moreover following signals will lead to better road safety and will also lower the need of traffic police.

It's thing like driving standard that potrays good image of the country to outside masses ( except those like me, who have been/understand BD pretty well ) and am happy that Dhaka is implementing the same . I hope not to sound offensive but it's time for BD to move out very fast of its rather negative image , by imposing harsh punishment for littering, honking unneccessarily, not fastening seat belt, etc as I believe that things like these will actually put BD on the "fast lane" to attract tourists and investors.

Manazir

December 22nd, 2009, 05:34 PM

^^
is it feasable actually? i mean, if heavy rain pours for hours, the tunnels will prolly get flooded!

tanzirian

December 22nd, 2009, 10:15 PM

I hope not to sound offensive but it's time for BD to move out very fast of its rather negative image , by imposing harsh punishment for littering, honking unneccessarily, not fastening seat belt, etc as I believe that things like these will actually put BD on the "fast lane" to attract tourists and investors.

I share your sentiment, Skyprince, but these are cultural shortcomings that will likely take time to change. Some laws could be made, but not sure how well they could be enforced. What could happen now is better enforcement of traffic lights and improvement of waste collection, street cleaning, and drainage infrastructure, together with education at primary school level to try and change mindset with regard to such behaviors.

^^
is it feasable actually? i mean, if heavy rain pours for hours, the tunnels will prolly get flooded!

There is at least one existing tunnel (at Kawran Bazar) which has not had any problems as far as I know. I believe the entrances are elevated above street level to reduce likelihood of flooding.

samaruf

December 23rd, 2009, 02:18 AM

Ok guys, something needs to happen drastically or this whole city will be immobile in a short time. I am astounded at the level of traffic in just Uttara. Some side streets are so jam packed that it takes 30-45 minutes just to get out of your own driveway! I had a dinner invitation in Dhanmondi last night and took off from home at 6:30 PM hoping to arrive by 7:30 PM. Didn't get there until 9:00:bleep:

All the new projects if implemented will not help an iota if certain tendencies in people don't change. Drivers still have no clue of the lanes, traffic signals or any road rules. Add to that the sheer number of private motor vehicles that have flooded the roads carrying only a lone passenger. I don't know why the govt. has made car ownership so easy without realizing that Dhaka doesn't have the roads for all these vehicles. For those of us coming from the outside, it's sheer hell to watch the traffic flow. Only the slow (30-40 km/h) speed and collision avoidance skill of the drivers is preventing any serious accidents.

For Dhaka members, could you please take a picture of a bus that had this on its side "Digital Chair Coach Service". I saw it on Airport road yesterday and thought may be they had TV's or something in the seats.

Manazir

December 23rd, 2009, 01:07 PM

^^
haha u serious about tht digital bus?? :P

btw, did all the guests leave the dawat by the time u got there? :D

Manazir

December 23rd, 2009, 01:11 PM

^^
haha u serious about tht digital bus?? :P

btw, did all the guests leave the dawat by the time u got there? :D

samaruf

December 23rd, 2009, 05:34 PM

btw, did all the guests leave the dawat by the time u got there? :D

Nope, like I had said in another thread, people in this country start eating dinner after 9:00 PM, so no one had left by the time I arrived. In fact some guests arrived at 10 PM !!

Manazir

December 23rd, 2009, 06:44 PM

^^
yeah all goes home after midnight then :)

tanzirian

December 24th, 2009, 03:58 PM

TIslam

December 25th, 2009, 01:00 PM

@ samaruf bhai - all the more reason why a metro is desperately needed. I hope they build a meaningful system by 2020. Plus, everything you said...enforcement of traffic rules, stricter rules for ownership of vehicles, etc.

I had similar bitter experience with road traffic in Dhaka. My digestive system is now on the way to recovering from shock now that I'm in Jakarta. I had the most difficult time eating lunch at three or four in the afternoon and dinner past 10 o'clock! Seems like Dhaka people are more than used to it. Perhaps it is the chicken and the egg (as to which came first) story, as it relates to people's eating habits and traffic on the road.

I don't see a Dhaka metro being in a decade or so. What do we do in the meanwhile? I believe a combination of limiting new private car registration in Dhaka, strict enforcement of traffic rules, and, significantly increasing the number of buses - better ones (like the long distance ones), would go a long way of alleviating the situation.

Manazir

December 25th, 2009, 01:35 PM

^^
Jakarta is also like Dhaka, its hell of a traffic jam there

TIslam

December 25th, 2009, 02:40 PM

^^
Jakarta is also like Dhaka, its hell of a traffic jam there

Not quite. There's a gulf of difference between Dhaka and Jakarta. Unlike Dhaka, a tiny city, Jakarta is a vast metropolis. The traffic jam in Jakarta is during the so called "rush hour", or "peak time", whereas the congestion in Dhaka is nearly constant, save for wee hours in the morning, perhaps.

samaruf

February 1st, 2010, 08:38 PM

My sister visiting Dhaka from Australia described to me the horror of stuck in traffic with two little kids while going from Uttara to Kathal Bagan. It took her 4 hours, which actually is not a jam anymore but a total breakdown of traffic infrastructure in Dhaka. In this regard, our brainiacs in the govt. have devised a new plan. Read all about it the Daily Star:

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=124484

In another move to ease traffic congestion in Dhaka, the government yesterday divided the capital into seven zones and fixed separate weekly holidays for shops, shopping arcades and other commercial establishments.

The decision, made at a regular cabinet meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, will be in force immediately.

Earlier, the government set fresh timings for the city's schools and private offices in an attempt to reduce congestion.

After the meeting at the Cabinet Division of the Secretariat, Prime Minister's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad told reporters that the government had taken up various initiatives to ease congestion in the city. "Dividing the city into zones is part of that," he added....

What are the chances this will alleviate the suffering??

tislam84

February 1st, 2010, 08:47 PM

tislam84

February 1st, 2010, 08:52 PM

The BBC has a news item on this staggered holiday thing, although I have to say that the picture they used does not show any traffic jam.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8491814.stm

samaruf

February 1st, 2010, 08:55 PM

^^ Staggered holidays are not permanet fixes in my opinion. If the shops are closed in my area today, I will go to the next closest area to do the shopping, so it does not really solve the traffic problem, it may just exacerbate it.

The problem I see is that everything happens in Dhaka - all the growth and activities are in Dhaka. What would help Dhaka the most is decentralizing Dhaka. Just as an example, I would say send all the TV channels and FDC ouside of Dhaka to Manikganj or Tangail (to a new FDC), move all factories (especially the ones in Tejgaon I/A) out of the capital to a new economic zone, encourage some of the banks to relocate HQs out of Dhaka, the list goes on.

Exactly, people will go to the area where shops are open and will actually be on the road longer! For the life of me I can't understand why the RMG and other export oriented factories aren't moved out of the city to some place near the ports. It will save them shipping costs as well as not having to deal with Dhaka's gridlock.

As you mentioned, even within Dhaka, there is no reason for people living in Uttara or Mirpur to travel to Motijheel to get their govt. work done. From the article, each of the 7 zones should have branches of the govt. so that people can take care of their business within their own zones. Simple common sense would mitigate a lot of the issues of our country.

TIslam

February 2nd, 2010, 02:02 AM

^^
The basic problem lies with the fact that the GoB thinks it has answers to all problems. Instead of seeking advice from subject matter experts they rely on the jack of all (master of none) "amlas" to provide solutions. Instead of taking an holistic approach to resolve the crisis, they just keep putting band aids around the problem.

What a testimony to the competency and efficiency of the government (both political and civil administration)!

Dhakaiya

February 2nd, 2010, 09:55 AM

Exactly, people will go to the area where shops are open and will actually be on the road longer! For the life of me I can't understand why the RMG and other export oriented factories aren't moved out of the city to some place near the ports. It will save them shipping costs as well as not having to deal with Dhaka's gridlock.

As you mentioned, even within Dhaka, there is no reason for people living in Uttara or Mirpur to travel to Motijheel to get their govt. work done. From the article, each of the 7 zones should have branches of the govt. so that people can take care of their business within their own zones. Simple common sense would mitigate a lot of the issues of our country.

From my recent visit, Chittagong gridlocks can be just as bad. Although it gets less focus than Dhaka, Chittagong too has grown (4 million people an estimate) and the traffic is worse than before, what we need in our megacities is mass transit. Imagine- cities of over 3 million population with no proper transport system!

TIslam

February 2nd, 2010, 07:31 PM

From my recent visit, Chittagong gridlocks can be just as bad. Although it gets less focus than Dhaka, Chittagong too has grown (4 million people an estimate) and the traffic is worse than before, what we need in our megacities is mass transit. Imagine- cities of over 3 million population with no proper transport system!

The so-called "megacities" are so owing to population, not because of dimension. The total surface area is very small. Perhaps that is one of the main reason for congestion. Unless some meaningful steps are taken to curb the growth or flow of vehicles into the city(ies), the problem will never be resolved.

To my mind, instead of monkeying with staggered holidays, vehicle restrictions on the streets would be more effective. Things like:

Odd-even license plates being allowed on congested areas/roads on odd/even days.

Designating HOV lanes at certain times of the day.

I
Instituting one-way traffic flow on certain streets during certain times based on localities. For example, if there are several educational institutions on some streets in a block, traffic flow should be one-way, in that, cars cannot turn around on the same street. They would have to drop off their passengers (students) and continue on up to the next block (intersection), before turning on the next (parallel) street to go the the opposite direction. The flow/direction of traffic could be reversed during pick up time.. No street parking woul be allowed on those streets.

Create congestion zones like they did for inner city London, where you have to pay a fee to enter the area. The fee is based upon time of the day, duration of stay etc.

The long term solution, of course would be efficient and plentiful mass transit, ring roads like the DC beltway, in addition to the above.

tanzirian

February 3rd, 2010, 01:22 AM

TIslam

February 3rd, 2010, 02:08 AM

The 3rd Karnaphuli Bridge due to open this year is expected to increase congestion, but there are several flyovers also being built to help deal with this. Of course, these are short term measures...
I cannot speak for Chittagong, but flyovers did not alleviate congestion in Dhaka.

sas

February 3rd, 2010, 05:25 AM

I cannot speak for Chittagong, but flyovers did not alleviate congestion in Dhaka.

Dude we hardly have any flyovers in Dhaka.

Dhakaiya

February 3rd, 2010, 06:02 AM

Dude we hardly have any flyovers in Dhaka.

Very true, I see lack of roads/flyovers/subways as the biggest reason behind traffic. Honestly- look at images of places like Minneapolis and Madrid and you'll see that a quarter of the city seems to be roads, well maybe Dhaka won't go that far but at least build a few more roads you damn government people!

TIslam

February 3rd, 2010, 01:20 PM

Dude we hardly have any flyovers in Dhaka.
I don't know what "hardly" means since there is at least one flyover in Dhaka (I believe more than one). My contention is that they (the flyovers) didn't help and will not have any meaningful impact on congestion even if more are built.

Dhakaiya

February 3rd, 2010, 02:00 PM

I don't know what "hardly" means since there is at least one flyover in Dhaka (I believe more than one). My contention is that they (the flyovers) didn't help and will not have any meaningful impact on congestion even if more are built.

We have only 2 flyovers, the Kakrail one does help I believe, and the Mohakhali one is too small, making a few more should be a temporary solution to the problem, in the long run there is no alternative to an effective public transport system.

samaruf

February 3rd, 2010, 09:05 PM

For a city of Dhaka's size, the road infrastructure is woefully inadequate..I think a report said we have only 5-7% roads for the whole city. Everyday hundreds of new cars and other vehicles are being added to the traffic and the agencies are doing nothing to curb the influx, especially that of private sedans. Why can't the GoB make car ownership very difficult? In Japan you can't even buy a car if you don't have a parking spot and even if you do, the price of a Corolla is 3 times that of in the US.

On another point, as a father of young children this news below just gutted me. It tells me even if we get the roads we need, unless we remove fake, uneducated, lawless "drivers" from the streets, our traffic situation will remain chaotic and dangerous.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=124793

The minibus driver in Dhaka is virtually blind because he manoeuvres his vehicle through traffic using verbal directions given by his helper. If he hits a pedestrian he may not know the extent of the damage because he is often too callous and cowardly to stop and find out. And sometimes the passengers actually try to help these drivers get away with a hit-and-run.

That is precisely what happened when bus driver Shamsur Rahman killed a five-year-old boy in the capital yesterday.
.....
When interviewed, Rahman seemed nonchalant about causing the death of Hamim Sheikh of Willes Little Flower School. While in police custody at Ramna Police Station he said, "We have no hand in road accidents, as Allah decides it.”
.....

Before the accident Rahman was picking up passengers from Kakrail intersectionwhich is not an official bus stand. When his helper gave him the “go" signal he pressed on the accelerator.

“I depend on my helper to manoeuvre the bus through traffic because I have no mirror on the left-hand side," he said.

Rahman said not having a mirror has caused several accidents since he began driving the bus six months ago.

Each time he was forced to pay compensation when he caused damage to rickshaws or other vehicles.

He said, "This time the accident cost the life of a child."

Rahman also admitted to having a fake driving licence, which he obtained two years ago....

This link has a photo of the little boy....truly heart wrenching
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=124794

Manazir

February 3rd, 2010, 09:18 PM

^^
u mean the KHILGAON flyover lol, theres no flyover in Kakrail:P

Dhakaiya

February 4th, 2010, 04:18 AM

^^
u mean the KHILGAON flyover lol, theres no flyover in Kakrail:P

Ya, thats what I meant :P

King Nothing

February 4th, 2010, 06:38 AM

The so-called "megacities" are so owing to population, not because of dimension. .

Very true. Its true for the whole of Bangladesh as well. Only a big country in population. The government needs to strictly enforce one-child policy.

tanzirian

February 5th, 2010, 04:33 AM

I cannot speak for Chittagong, but flyovers did not alleviate congestion in Dhaka.

In case of Chittagong, at least from what I have read, the flyovers will help with some of the increased traffic volume created by the new bridge. This does not mean that congestion will be less than what it is today...but rather that the congestion would be better than having the bridge without the flyovers.

In case of Dhaka...I don't think a grand total of two flyovers was meant to have a significant impact on overall traffic congestion...but they probably do make it easier to get from point A to point B in some cases.

TIslam

February 5th, 2010, 04:05 PM

.....

In case of Dhaka...I don't think a grand total of two flyovers was meant to have a significant impact on overall traffic congestion...but they probably do make it easier to get from point A to point B in some cases.

Perhaps it does make it easier to get from point A to point B however, I did not experience it. During my seven days stay in December, there was gridlock virtually on all major roads, including on the flyovers.

HereWeGo

February 5th, 2010, 04:58 PM

I am not a traffic expert, but I believe there are 2 solutions for Dhaka and both are so drastic that I dont see them being implemented

1) Ban all private transport and build a world class public transport infastructure.

2) No new markets, buildings or offices should be given permission to be construted in Dhaka. Only old buildings can be demolished and replaced with new ones. Decentralise everything out from Dhaka.

I know both the above sounds very childish, also i am not an expert in urban planning but this is the best i can come with..
:ohno:

TIslam

February 5th, 2010, 05:13 PM

samaruf

February 5th, 2010, 08:43 PM

1) Ban all private transport and build a world class public transport infastructure.

More practical steps would be to make sure none of the rickety vehicles ply on the city streets and not allow easy ownership of private cars. The excuse for not removing the "murir tin" vehicles is that there isn't enough dumping space. I bet if there is a will, the govt. can find a location for these unfit. battered transports and have them recycled for the metal. Why not send them all to Dholaikhal? I saw numerous buses on Airport road whose tail lights were painted on :ohno:

Dhakaiya

February 6th, 2010, 07:06 AM

nayeem007

February 7th, 2010, 04:52 AM

Nitol plans tie-up with India's Meru to launch cabs

Md Hasan

Nitol Motors Ltd and Indian taxi service provider Meru Cabs are set to go into a joint venture to introduce 10,000 "high-tech" cabs in phases in Dhaka.

Both laid out a plan to invest Tk 700 crore in computerised cab services in the capital.

"We may go for 50-50 investment partnership," said Abdul Matlub Ahmad, chairman of Nitol Niloy Group, the parent company of Nitol Motors.

City dwellers are expected to get cabs from any location by making phone calls as the service is aided by the GPS based technology. The new service will be in place by year-end.

Meru, the single largest radio cab service in India with a fleet of more than 3,500 cabs, will take care of the technical side.

Meru Cabs offers metered taxi services in some Indian cities such as Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi and Bangalore through a fleet of modern, air-conditioned cars equipped with GPS-based technology.

Earlier, Nitol Motors introduced 1,600 Indian cabs in Dhaka city, but most are now abandoned due to lack of maintenance. Presently, only 500 cabs are plying the city roads.

"We incurred huge losses earlier by running cab business as there was no maintenance system," Ahmad said, adding: "Under the new venture, we will go for completely GPS-based system so that we can ensure maintenance and customers' satisfaction."

GPS is a satellite navigation system now commonly used for automobile system. It typically uses a GPS navigation device to acquire position data to locate the user on a road in the unit's map database. Using the road database, the unit can give directions to other locations along roads also in its database.

The Nitol Niloy Group boss said the cab service will run through a call centre so that anyone can have access to cabs from any location in the city.

"We'll import cabs, which are economical for us -- to provide services affordable to passengers."

Meru's high officials are scheduled to arrive in Dhaka this week to finalise the deal.

An expert suggests a systematic transportation with the utilisation of the existing road infrastructure. "Otherwise, introducing new cab services may turn into a burden for city dwellers," said Dr Sarwar Jahan, head of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.

Nitol Motors, the sole distributor of Indian TATA vehicles in Bangladesh, is also assembling TATA vehicles here.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=125206

Manazir

February 7th, 2010, 05:56 PM

^^
yeah dont tell me they gna get TATA nano cabs :P

numb.soul

February 8th, 2010, 09:17 AM

^^
yeah dont tell me they gna get TATA nano cabs :P

lol .. no they usually have maruti suzuki esteems,mahindra-renault logans..
charge is rs 15 per km
http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/2499/78992688.jpg

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/7970/53206201.jpg

this might help you

http://www.merucabs.com/media_center/image.html

TIslam

February 8th, 2010, 12:58 PM

Nitol plans tie-up with India's Meru to launch cabs
..........
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=125206
Good grief! We need less vehicles on the streets of Dhaka, not more.

TIslam

February 8th, 2010, 01:06 PM

Building more roads should solve the problem, there are hundreds of cities worldwide with more cars than Dhaka, but there are sufficient roads to take the cars but Dhaka even while being a city of 15 million has only a handful important roads- the rest are the small golis.
Unless the entrenched mindset and civic culture change, such is not possible. Roads require available public land and easement from private property. When nobody wants to fore go a centimeter of land, what would the new roads be built upon? Yes, you could build as many flyovers or rings roads as feasible but that would not solve the surface level gridlock, unless sufficient one-way streets can be established at most intersections.

Manazir

February 8th, 2010, 06:20 PM

HELL NO! Not even MARUTIs , i HATE seeing them in Dhaka's streets

iamgr8

February 8th, 2010, 08:03 PM

Thats GREAT but first you have to kick out the thousands vehicles of Dhaka . God.. save us. We don't need more vehicles in Dhaka untill some huge road constructions are done. Atleast 20 flyovers , expressway, underpass & more .

King Nothing

February 8th, 2010, 09:29 PM

HELL NO! Not even MARUTIs , i HATE seeing them in Dhaka's streets

Too bad you cant do anything abt it.

TIslam

February 9th, 2010, 01:54 AM

Too bad you cant do anything abt it.
:lol:
I could care less whether they are Maruti or Mercedes! All I know is that adding more cars on the streets of Dhaka will exacerbate the gridlock.

Dhakaiya

February 9th, 2010, 06:54 AM

:lol:
I could care less whether they are Maruti or Mercedes! All I know is that adding more cars on the streets of Dhaka will exacerbate the gridlock.

At least the Mercedes would have allowed you to spend some times gazing at cars, but to stare at half broken Marutis while stuck in a jam.... frustrating :lol:

Manazir

February 9th, 2010, 06:14 PM

^^
i give u 100% mark for that :lol: , naah actually i was expecting Toyota/Nissan taxis, ull see hw many of these Marutis will get vandalised during hartals n stuff :P

carlcox

February 21st, 2010, 08:05 AM

Beautiful country you got there. Gotta improve the infrastructure though.

fallstuf

March 1st, 2010, 07:19 PM

From
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=128323

Kuril flyover work starts this month

http://www.us-bangla.com/images/flyover.png

The construction work of 3.1 km Kuril flyover will start this month to connect the capital with Purbachal New Town.

The cabinet purchase committee yesterday approved the tender proposal for constructing the flyover at a cost of around Tk 153 crore. Finance Minister AMA Muhith chaired the meeting.

"As we have the approval of the purchase committee we will issue the work order to selected two firms--Project Builders Limited and Major Bridge Eng Company JV-- soon," said an official of Rajuk.

The construction work of the flyover will start this month and is scheduled to be completed by 2012, he added.

On December 17, 2008, the foundation stone of the flyover was laid down at the meeting point of the Airport Road and Pragati Sarani to start its work in March, 2009.

The flyover will be constructed from the fund of Purbachal New Town Project of Rajuk on about 12.68 acres of land. Of the land, about 10 acres belong to Bangladesh Railway and the remaining are private lands.

Land acquisition for the flyover has already been completed, said the official.

Three local consulting firms--Development Design Consultants Limited, The Consulting House and Divine Associates Limited, assigned to conduct the feasibility study, had submitted their final report earlier.

The one-way flyover with four loops (two Y loops and two U loops) will be 8.9 metre wide and 48 feet high, he said.

The exit points of the flyover have been proposed to be constructed at Banani and on Airport Road, Pragati Sarani and Purbachal road, he said.

A 13 km long and 300 feet wide road is also being developed as part of the Purbachal project.

The official said the link road would connect Kuril on the Airport Road, which is already serving as a major gateway for northern districts to the city after the Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge was opened to the public in 1997.

The objectives of the flyover project are to improve traffic on Kuril intersection, Airport Road, deal with extra traffic generated from construction of the proposed Purbachal link road, reduce vehicle operation and maintenance cost and travel time as well as improve road safety situation.

Related news:
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=68412

TIslam

March 1st, 2010, 07:41 PM

From
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=128323

Kuril flyover work starts this month
............
The one-way flyover with four loops (two Y loops and two U loops) will be 8.9 metre wide and 48 feet high, he said.
.......
Related news:
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=68412
Why is it one-way?

mirzazeehan

March 1st, 2010, 07:52 PM

Why is it one-way?

Strange that a flyover with two Y loops and two U loops is gonna be one way!
However,I am having that construction of this one is starting so early..i expected more delays

iamgr8

March 1st, 2010, 08:16 PM

http://www.unbconnect.com/component/news/task-show/id-15688

The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase on Monday approved a 3.1 kilomertre flyover project that will connect the Gulistan-Airport road with the under-construction Purbachal Model Town.

A local firm with its Chinese associate won the Tk 153.64 crore contract of the flyover construction work. This will be the third flyover in the capital after Mohakhali and Khilgaon flyovers.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith presided over the cabinet purchase committee meeting, which was attended by the senior ministers.

As per terms and condition of the flyover contract, the contractors shall complete the job within 24 months from the signing of the contract with the government.

The government has another plan to construct an expressway from Gazipur to Narayanganj on the same route where the flyover will connect at the Kuril intersection on Airport Road.

“The Communications Minister, who attended the Cabinet body meeting confirmed that the flyover project will not in any way conflict with the planned expressway project,” a top official at the Cabinet Division told UNB.

Referring to the Communication Ministry’s presentation, he said the point was discussed in the meeting, but it was confirmed by the Communication Ministry that the expressway will go over the top of the flyover.

The official said that the main purpose of the flyover would be to facilitate the Purbachal Model Twon project being developed by the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK), the capital development authority.

The cabinet body also approved a proposal of the Food Ministry to import 100,000 metric tons of wheat at a cost of about Tk 162.39 crore to meet the domestic demands.

Of the total import, 60 percent will be made through Chittagong Port while 40 percent will be done through the Mongla Port.

Nine more purchase proposals of different ministries also received the not of the Cabinet Purchase Committee.

iamgr8

March 1st, 2010, 08:35 PM

Govt plans flyover over Moghbazar crossing

Munima Sultana

The government has taken plan to construct a flyover over the Moghbazar crossing with Japanese government assistance to ease the traffic congestion in the city's most traffic-pressure area.

Sources said the flyover is being planned to be constructed from Satmasjid Road to Bailey Road near Ramna police station.

It is designed to divert vehicles moving to and from Motijheel and Mohakhali areas from the mainstream traffic.

They said vehicles of Eskaton, Kawranbazar and Mouchak would use the existing road to cross the Moghbazar area.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has already assured the government of providing the entire fund of $35 million as grant upon its finding that the Moghbazar area gets the highest pressure of traffic compared to the city's other areas, said a ministry official preferring anonymity.

According to the JICA-funded Dhaka Urban Transport Network Development Study, the traffic of Moghbazar area is 1.5 to 2.0 time higher than that in other areas of the city.

The official said the Moghbazar flyover project has been taken to avert accidents on the rail crossing as well.

Dr SM Salehuddin, additional executive director of Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB), said after getting Japanese government assurance, DTCB started working on the flyover project and completed its strategic design.

He said as per the strategic design, the length of the flyover would be more than 1.0 kilometre.

Dr. Salehuddin said the DTCB proposed to construct the Moghbazar flyover to implement one of the components of the Dhaka city's Strategic Transport Plan considering its impact on easing traffic jam in the area suffering from highest traffic congestion in the city.

The communication ministry held a meeting with JICA last week and instructed the DTCB and the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) to complete necessary ground works within this week for starting the project speedily.

An official said the ministry has also instructed the DTCB and the RHD, transport sector's policy and implementing agencies, to confirm the location of the flyover by consulting the experts including the JICA team working on the city's overall transport feasibility study.

http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/more.php?news_id=77885

fallstuf

March 1st, 2010, 10:42 PM

samaruf

March 2nd, 2010, 04:43 AM

Do not even think about parking here !

Oh yeah, I got your parking right here !

http://www.thedailystar.net/photo/2010/03/02/2010-03-02__back01.jpg

Actually I saw signs like these in NY in early 90's. Didn't stop the brave New Yorkers from parking right under the sign !

Pic from:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/photo_gallery.php?pid=128359

That's my bus. See my name on it :lol:

This phenomena of doing exactly what a sign says not to do is common all over the world. In Kuwait I used to observe people at the main bus depot spitting paan juice on a sign written in 6-7 languages(Bangla included) telling 'em not to do it. Except may be Singapore, as long as people feel there's no harm done, a sign is considered just a nuisance warning.

Manazir

March 2nd, 2010, 01:41 PM

^^
LOOOL Shakil bhai :lol:

tanzirian

March 2nd, 2010, 03:23 PM

samaruf

March 2nd, 2010, 03:27 PM

^^ Yes good one Shakil bhai...I wish I could find the picture someone posted here a few years back...it was a road sign in BD showing that the road would curve left ahead (but with the road actually curving right, or vice versa).

I had posted it along with a bunch of other ridiculous ones. Here it is:

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww343/samaruf/Bangladesh%20Signs/image008.jpg

tanzirian

March 2nd, 2010, 10:17 PM

^^ Oh thanks, I love this one :D had looked for it before but had forgotten where it was posted ... this time I will save it to my PC

BTW...I am now questioning the authenticity of the bus photo...since the bus has your name on it!

TIslam

March 3rd, 2010, 12:10 AM

That's my bus. See my name on it :lol:

This phenomena of doing exactly what a sign says not to do is common all over the world. In Kuwait I used to observe people at the main bus depot spitting paan juice on a sign written in 6-7 languages(Bangla included) telling 'em not to do it. Except may be Singapore, as long as people feel there's no harm done, a sign is considered just a nuisance warning.
No point in posting warning signs if violators aren't prosecuted. That is why I like the Singaporeans.:)

TIslam

March 3rd, 2010, 12:11 AM

samaruf

March 3rd, 2010, 02:11 AM

BTW...I am now questioning the authenticity of the bus photo...since the bus has your name on it!

What? I can't own a #1 bus on the Mirpur to Gulistan route? All I needed was a dilapidated bus, an underage driver with fake license and a few "bosti" kids as his helper.

Messrs. "Shakil Paribahan"...Apnar gontobbo sthane pohuche dibo, aj hok ba kal!

tanzirian

March 3rd, 2010, 07:31 AM

^^ True true, though I just realized that it was fallstuff and not you who posted the bus pic...so thanks, fallstuf!

dopekhor

March 3rd, 2010, 10:58 PM

Manazir

March 4th, 2010, 03:58 AM

^^
LOLOL :lol:

samaruf

April 21st, 2010, 05:12 AM

So this road over the demolished Rangs Bhavan finally opens, but does it improve the traffic? Read on..

"...Indeed, the Tejgaon-Bijoy Sarani side of the 60-foot wide link road experienced huge traffic congestion just 10 minutes after the prime minister inaugurated it.

It took 38 minutes for this correspondent to pass the 1.4km long road by a motorbike yesterday afternoon....

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=135164

With my bulging gut, I can usually walk/jog 2 miles in 25-30 minutes.

TIslam

April 21st, 2010, 03:49 PM

nayeem007

April 21st, 2010, 04:15 PM

^^ Well as the article says "The Daily Star published a story in 2007 about the Bijoy Sarani-Tejgaon link road. Experts said at that time that if the 120-foot wide Bijoy Sarani is narrowed down to 60 feet at the linking point, the "funnel" would create severe bottleneck in traffic movement instead of easing it."

I agree with Towhid bhai, the culture of walking is absent among Dhakaites, afterall we hop in a rickshaw to get by few blocks. That's why I am a big proponent of banning rickshaws and clearing sidewalks.. this will not only ease congestion but will also make people healthier.

I never walked in Dhaka when I was there, would take rickshaw all over Banani and Gulshan. Initially it was quite annoying for me to walk few miles in college campus during undergrad, but when I got used to it, it was fun!

samaruf

April 21st, 2010, 04:45 PM

The main problem it appears with this and many other roads is that traffic lights are not synchronized properly. Same issue with Mohakhali flyover, traffic jams up in front of the cantonment gate leading to a parking lot on the flyover.

Good road engineers perform simulations based on the vehicle rate on any given section of a road. With high performance computers available these days, any new road should undergo some sort of computer simulation taking into account traffic level, stop light durations, etc. This will help immensely before the road is built.

nayeem007

April 21st, 2010, 04:45 PM

Aerial view of Tejgaon Link road

http://www.newagebd.com/2010/apr/21/met-b.jpg

DzzzMcGzzz

April 21st, 2010, 09:39 PM

if each signal takes two minutes on average, the link road opens every eight minutes for a duration of just one or two minutes, which is worsening the situation.

I haven't been in Dhaka since they turned on the signals again, but an 8 minute cycle length is ridiculously long! Like 2.5 times longer than what typical signals operate at. At that length, immense queues are inevitable.

BTV_is_neutral

April 22nd, 2010, 06:30 PM

......................

Manazir

April 22nd, 2010, 07:01 PM

^^
warm welcome to the forum :) , i did like ur first post :D

dopekhor

April 22nd, 2010, 08:36 PM

Friday, April 23, 2010Front Page
Tejgaon link road increases traffic chaos

Fails to ease tailbacks due to faulty planning, says expert

http://www.thedailystar.net/photo/2010/04/23/2010-04-23__back01.jpg (http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/photo_gallery.php?pid=135536)Vehicles are caught in a tailback yesterday on the flyover part of the Bijoy Sarani-Tejgaon Link Road, which was expected to ease the city's traffic congestion. Photo: StarStaff Correspondent
The new Bijoy Sarani-Tejgaon link road, which was supposed to ease tailbacks, has actually increased traffic chaos, thanks to faulty transport planning, a leading traffic expert and commuters say.
Since the Bijoy Sarani-Tejgaon link road was inaugurated Tuesday, adding two more signals to Bijoy Sarani intersection, one of the busiest in Dhaka, commuters complain about waiting longer for a green signal. This has stretched the tailbacks up to Sonargaon intersection on one side and Mohakhali flyover on the other.
Transport expert M Rahmatullah says unless an overpass or underpass is built to channel traffic to the new road, people will continue to suffer, defeating the purpose of the road.
"An overpass at Bijoy Sarani intersection may facilitate the north-south traffic flows to pass the mess at the junction or an underpass may be thought of to take the Bijoy Sarani traffic easily to Tejgaon," said Rahmatullah.
However, two other experts--urban researcher Prof Nazrul Islam and Buet Prof Md Shamsul Hoque--said the tailbacks are temporary and it will be all right after some time.
However, autorickshaw driver Malek does not think so. He took a trip from Mouchak to Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban and got stuck for 25 minutes on the link road around 11:00am yesterday to pass the Bijoy Sarani intersection.
"I took the new road in the hope of saving time but it turned out to be a bad decision," he said, adding, "There should have been an overpass to manage horrendous tailbacks from Bijoy Sarani intersection."
Hundreds of vehicles that took the just-inaugurated link road were stuck on it at Bijoy Sarani intersection, Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue and Tajuddin Sarani during daytime on Tuesday and Wednesday. The road was packed with vehicles yesterday during rush hours.
Rahmatullah said the link road is an additional traffic direction and it has increased the pressure on the intersection.
Traffic from the new road has added three streams of vehicles to the Bijoy Sarani intersection with one taking the left turn, and one right while one goes straight to Bijoy Sarani, he said.
The link road, with a newly created intersection at Tejgaon, will now slowdown heavy traffic on Mohakhali-Moghbazar road as well.
"It has brought an additional mess and the accumulated effect is what we are facing now," he said.
"But any such further intervention must be thought in integration with the proposed metro line and elevated expressway," he said.
A traffic police in Tejgaon area said the link road has added more waiting time for traffic from all three directions--Farmgate, Jahangir Gate and Bijoy Sarani--at Bijoy Sarani intersection.
Vehicles from Farmgate is allotted 120 seconds to pass the intersection, those from Jahangir Gate get 110 seconds and the ones from Bijoy Sarani direction have 90 seconds.
However, quite often vehicles have to wait eight minutes rather than five and a half to cross the intersection.
The dual carriageway link road cannot adequately accommodate the waiting traffic and vehicles get stuck behind long queues, he said.
The link road is 1,114 metres long and 60 feet wide.

nayeem007

April 25th, 2010, 08:40 PM

Tender for elevated way after Munsell report

Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha . Dhaka
The communications minister, Syed Abul Hossain, has said every preparation for constructing elevated expressway and metro rail in the city is progressing fast and the real work will be visible to citizens shortly.
Four pre-qualified bidders have already been selected and tender would be floated by seeking proposal soon after getting final report from consulting firm Munsell AICOM on the route of the expressway. Munsell expected to submit proposal by June, 2010, he said.
The minister said while talking to reporters after a seminar on city’s traffic problem at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre Saturday.
Chartered Institute of Logistic and Transport, Bangladesh chapter arranged the seminar on ‘Traffic congestion in Dhaka City: Challenges and Options’.
The communications minister said in the first phase, the 32-km expressway from Joydevpur to Narayanganj will touch all important intersections now facing acute traffic congestion. In the second phase it would be extended to other parts of the city.
The Public Procurement Rules has been simplified for quick implementation of the project, otherwise, it would take much more time, he said asserting that both the elevated expressway and metro rail project would be completed within the tenure of the present government.
About the metro rail project, the communications minister said Japan had shown its keen interest to finance for the project and had already done a feasibility study with its international cooperation agency JICA.
‘Japan may give an announcement about its financial support for metro rail during prime minister’s visit’, Abul Hossain said adding ‘we are expecting 80 per cent financial support from Japan for the project.
The executive chairman of Board of Investment, SA Samad, attended the seminar as special guest while former secretary and vice-president of CILT Karar Mahmudul Hassan presented a keynote paper.
President of CILT and former communication secretary Syed Reazul Hayat was in the chair and secretary of CILT Captain Abdul Qader, spoke among others.
Abul Hossain said as per Strategic Transport Plan they wanted to implement the metro rail project with financial support from the ADB and the World Bank.
‘But, he said, the process remained suspended at the request of Japan, a major development partner of Bangladesh. JICA would submit its second study report on metro rail by next month, he said.
The minister said the present traffic situation was result of decades of negligence of previous governments. It needs years of planning and meticulous follow-up and implementation of the agreed policy.
Described the chronological scenario of traffic congestion in capital city Dhaka, Karar Mahmudul Hasan in his keynote paper said about one million transports including four lakh slow moving rickshaws, pull carts were plying on city roads.
Growth of smaller vehicles particularly private cars was about 30 per cent every year since 2006 to 2009. In 2009 calendar year the number of imported cars and microbuses was 31,000 while number of buses was only 57.
Later, in an open discussion, participants laid importance on enforcement of traffic rules, improvement of traffic signal system, freeing the footpaths from encroachment, building more parking facilities and strictly regulate the road permit.
Before envisaging for mega-projects, the government should go for quick implementation of the above things and all department and agencies must harmonise their activities, they said.

http://www.newagebd.com/2010/apr/25/met.html

nayeem007

May 8th, 2010, 03:45 AM

Tongi Overpass

http://www.thedailystar.net/photo/2010/05/08/2010-05-08__front01.jpg

A section of the Tongi Overpass, which is soon to be inaugurated by the prime minister. The authorities missed the project deadline by two years due to a lack of proper planning, and faulty design. The delay also caused immense sufferings for local residents, and people who use the road. Photo: Sk Enamul Haq.

The overpass on Dhaka-Kaliganj-Ghorashal-Pachdona Road over the Tongi level crossing is a major initiative to ease daily horrible traffic congestion on the road that connects the northern and southern regions of the country bypassing the capital.

Seventy two trains pass by the level crossing everyday, for which road traffic must be stopped on both sides of the crossing for about 12 hours a day, he added saying, the situation will hugely improve after the overpass opens. It is now expected to be inaugurated by the prime minister soon, he said.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=137473

Manazir

May 8th, 2010, 07:29 AM

^^
good news, few days back i was actually thinking what hapened to this project

sathya_226

May 8th, 2010, 09:29 AM

Too bad you cant do anything abt it.

If you are not confirtable with maruti's , then try and manufacture some BMW's and Mercs so that u can have a grand ride. lol

Just kiddin!!

,,Cheers,,

nayeem007

May 8th, 2010, 08:22 PM

4 road tunnels on cards
Tk 170cr project undertaken; underpasses to be opened by 2011

http://www.thedailystar.net/photo/2010/05/09/2010-05-09__front01.jpg

M Abul Kalam AzadThe government has undertaken a project to construct four underpasses for vehicles to ease congestion at intersections between Shahbagh and Sonargaon Hotel on Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue.

The Dhaka City Corporation will begin the construction of the underpasses, a Tk 170 crore project, by the end of the year. They are scheduled to be opened to public by the end of 2011. The length of each underpass will be about 275 metres, communications ministry officials said.

The four-lane underpasses will enable uninterrupted vehicular movement, without hampering traffic flow on the Banglamotor and Sonargaon Hotel intersections, for people using the Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue.

Engineers have urged immediate construction of the underpasses to improve the traffic situation and prevent the nagging congestion that kills valuable working hours and wastes a huge amount of fuel.

Experts of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) have conducted the feasibility study of the project. They also completed the design, which will soon be finalised by an inter-ministerial body.

"The underpasses will be useful immensely if those really help uninterrupted vehicular movement," said architect Prof Nizamuddin Ahmed of Buet.

Traffic system expert Prof Moazzem Hossain of Buet's Civil Engineering department said, "The government should undertake several such projects immediately as this kind of underpasses are of low-cost type and can be implemented in a year."

The experts suggested that the government extends the project covering Mohakhali intersection at one end and Bangabazar or Bangabandhu Avenue on the other to link the project with the Gulistan-Jatrabari flyover.

"We can also get huge benefit out of the project by linking the project with the proposed Mirpur-Zia Colony flyover project," said Moazzem. He said the government primarily approved construction of underpasses in the four intersections.

Replying to query, the expert said the existing traffic movement on the avenue would not be hampered during the construction of the underpasses.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=137635

nayeem007

May 8th, 2010, 08:24 PM

^^ 2011 actually means 2015.. but still it's a good initiative to get the underpass work started.

iamgr8

May 8th, 2010, 11:40 PM

Once the construction of the underpasses start it will not take more than 1 year to complete the project. It will ease the traffic immensely.

Btw, Jatrabari-Gulistan Flyover's main construction work will start from 13 May. It is expected to be completed by 2013 . Mirpur Flyover , Banani overpass work will start very soon. The construction of Mauchak - Malibagh Flyover will start by end of the year or early next year.

Manazir

May 9th, 2010, 06:44 AM

^^
which one is Mirpur flyover?? and the Banani one is the one over the railgate?

nayeem007

May 10th, 2010, 01:26 AM

100 BRTC buses in service tomorrow
PM to inaugurate the new services
Staff Correspondent
The Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation is going to launch 100 more CNG-run brand-new buses on different routes of the capital on Tuesday in a bid to expand the state-run transport services, said a top official.
‘The prime minister will inaugurate the new services by swiping a integrated circuit card at a function to be held on the day,’ the corporation director (technical), Colonel Akter Kamal, told New Age.
The communication ministry sources said the function would be held at the Air Movement in Bangladesh Air Force Base Bashar in the Dhaka city.
The prime minister will also hand over the key of buses to the drivers.
On the inauguration day, the corporation will organise a road-show and the prime minister will swipe an e-ticket in the bus-inside-device to open the services.
The corporation had procured the 52-seated buses with funding from the Nordic Development Fund and the cost of each bus was Tk 33 lakh including taxes.
‘The 100 Chinese buses have already reached Dhaka and will be handed over to the BRTC authorities within the week with all necessary papers and equipment as per agreement with the contractor,’ the corporation official said.
The buses will ply five routes in the city — from Chowrasta (Gazipur) to Chittagong Road (Dhaka), Azampur to Motijheel, Gabtoli to Gulshan-2, Mohammadpur to Motijheel and Mirpur to Motijheel.
According to the corporation, the sky colour seats will be used by general people while maroon seats will be reserved for women, children and people with disability.
In an agreement, signed between the BRTC and the N-Wave Co (Bd) Ltd, bus-inside-devices will be introduced in the 100 buses within the next two months for using integrated circuit cards.
The manual ticketing system, however, will continue along with the IC cards, said the N-Wave technical manager, Ashraf Uddin.
The company has already installed 17 such IC card booths for the Uttara-Azimpur route, and will install 100 more booths for the other BRTC routes.
‘We have already received a good response from customers as the sale of advance ticket is satisfactory,’ Ashraf said, adding that it would take two more months for the e-ticketing system to be fully operative.
Currently, about 450 BRTC buses are plying the Dhaka metropolitan area. Of them, a number of buses are being used by universities, colleges and other government offices on rent.
The corporation had earlier taken an initiative to procure 400 CNG-run buses. Of them, 300 will be procured from South Korea on credit from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund but the initiative is still under process.

http://www.newagebd.com/2010/may/10/met.html

nayeem007

May 10th, 2010, 01:27 AM

Progress in Hatirjheel dev project satisfactory: minister
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha . Dhaka
Communications minister Syed Abul Hossain on Sunday said the work of integrated development project of the Hatirjheel area, including Begunbari, was progressing satisfactorily.
He hoped that the project would be completed within the stipulated time and said communication system would be developed significantly after completion of the project work.
The minister told newsmen while visiting the integrated development project of Hatirjheel project in the Dhaka city.
He said the project work was progressing rapidly and the Bangladesh Army was working to implement the project. In a reply to a question, Abul Hossain said the land-related cases of the project would be resolved soon.
He said overpasses also would be constructed on Moghbazar rail line and Tongi diversion road.
Engineering-in-chief of Bangladesh Army Maj Gen Hamid Al Hasan, director of engineering special work organisation Brigadier Abul Khayer and senior officials, among others, were present on the occasion.
Engineering corps of Bangladesh Army apprised the minister of the progress in the project.
Sources concerned said Tk 1480.90 crore would be spent for the integrated development project of the Hatirjheel area, including Bagunbari. Of them, Tk 1052.67 crore will be spent for land requisition and Tk 428 for infrastructure development.
Under the project, an 11-kilometer service road, expressway and walkway will be constructed.
A 60-meter wide road and four bridges will be constructed. The project will also accommodate footpath and green space

http://www.newagebd.com/2010/may/10/met.html

nayeem007

May 10th, 2010, 01:28 AM

^^ I am optimistic about the Hatirjheel project since the construction is done by Bangladesh army, usually they are very efficient in implementing projects.

Does anyone know the estimated completion date for the initiative?

Manazir

May 10th, 2010, 07:15 AM

^^
lemme guess, 2015? :P

DzzzMcGzzz

May 11th, 2010, 10:51 PM

4 road tunnels on cards
Tk 170cr project undertaken; underpasses to be opened by 2011

http://www.thedailystar.net/photo/2010/05/09/2010-05-09__front01.jpg

Replying to query, the expert said the existing traffic movement on the avenue would not be hampered during the construction of the underpasses.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=137635

Regarding the last sentence, how do they think construction will not hamper traffic movement. Construction ALWAYS affects traffic, no matter where you are in the world. Not sure how they imagine digging underground won't.

TIslam

May 12th, 2010, 12:57 AM

Regarding the last sentence, how do they think construction will not hamper traffic movement. Construction ALWAYS affects traffic, no matter where you are in the world. Not sure how they imagine digging underground won't.

That's a certainty. Furthermore, if they begin any excavation work now or any time soon, life will be completely miserable since work will be suspended during the rainy season.

tanzirian

May 12th, 2010, 03:02 AM

^^ Of course its going to cause increased congestion during construction and even when its complete there will still be plenty of jams. But I'm glad that the powers-that-be are at least thinking and acting about these problems, regardless of how small the impact. Long term for a city with the population and density of Dhaka there is no alternative other than a massive and efficient system of 1) metrorail / subway 2) better buses 3) strict enforcement of traffic rules so that the buses can actually get to where they are going in a meaningful timeframe, and so that they themselves do not contribute to problems and 4) very high threshold for permiting the ownership of personal vehicles for people residing within metro limits. Dhaka has such small footprint (in terms of land area) relative to other populous global cities that it really is very ideal for system of public transport. I would love to see greater movement in these directions.

TIslam

May 12th, 2010, 04:32 AM

..... Dhaka has such small footprint (in terms of land area) relative to other populous global cities that it really is very ideal for system of public transport. I would love to see greater movement in these directions.
Question remains, "if you build it, will they come"? I have noticed that there exists a tendency for Dhaka folks to aim for private cars, as soon as they move up the economic ladder. Yet, many affluent folks in London and New York City, make use of the mass transit on a regular basis.

tanzirian

May 12th, 2010, 04:36 AM

Question remains, "if you build it, will they come"? I have noticed that there exists a tendency for Dhaka folks to aim for private cars, as soon as they move up the economic ladder. Yet, many affluent folks in London and New York City, make use of the mass transit on a regular basis.

That's why it needs to coupled with laws making it harder to own cars. I know in cities like Tokyo there is a high threshold for ownership. But, that can't be done until we have the metro / better buses / better traffic enforcement.

nayeem007

May 12th, 2010, 05:14 AM

http://www.thedailystar.net/latest_photo/2010/05/11/2010-05-11__bus-2.JPG
100 new CNG buses deployed by BRTC

Manazir

May 12th, 2010, 07:20 AM

^^
not bad looking, the buses in dubai seems better :)

DzzzMcGzzz

May 12th, 2010, 06:02 PM

^^yay! new buses!

samaruf

May 12th, 2010, 06:15 PM

http://www.thedailystar.net/latest_photo/2010/05/11/2010-05-11__bus-2.JPG
100 new CNG buses deployed by BRTC

Shudder to think what these nice looking new buses will look like after a few months on Dhaka's roads. Dings and dangs and shoddy maintenance have ruined the Volvo buses procured earlier.

Manazir

May 12th, 2010, 09:08 PM

^^
protests aswell, they destroy the glasses and burn the buses sometime

nayeem007

May 17th, 2010, 12:59 AM

Bijoysharani-Tejgaon link road
Photos: Ershad Ahmed

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZPf1HUBNpK4/S92vCxKHxpI/AAAAAAAASt8/w8KeSrsj3Oo/s1600/7744.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZPf1HUBNpK4/S92uzoqeLGI/AAAAAAAASt0/SOOOc4DulZo/s1600/7745.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZPf1HUBNpK4/S92uj7UxD8I/AAAAAAAASts/5cEj0ZoWx7c/s1600/7746.jpg

nayeem007

May 23rd, 2010, 06:51 PM

Tongi flyover open to traffic

http://www.thedailystar.net/latest_photo/2010/05/23/2010-05-23__Flyover_edited.jpg http://www.thedailystar.net/latest_photo/2010/05/22/2010-05-22__Flyover.JPG

BSS, TongiPrime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday inaugurated Shaheed Ahsanullah Master Flyover on the southern side of Tongi Rail Station.

The three-lane flyover was constructed at a cost of Tk 23.75 crore.

The flyover was named after former lawmaker Ahsanullah Master, who was killed by BNP terrorists during the tenure of the past BNP-Jamaat alliance government.

Now vehicles of Dhaka and North Bengal would be able to go to Narsingdi, Bhairab, Sylhet and Kishoreganj via Tongi avoiding severe traffic congestion in Dhaka city and Kanchpur Bridge.

The construction work of the flyover began on March 16 in 2006 and Tk 18.33 crore was earmarked to complete it on March 15 in 2008.

Ahsanullah Master, who was elected parliament member from the area in 1996 and 2001, placed his demand at Jatiya Sangsad on different occasions for constructing a flyover near Tongi Rail Station.

In recognition of his contribution, the Prime Minister directed the authorities concerned to name the flyover after him.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=23873

tanzirian

May 23rd, 2010, 07:31 PM

^^ Thanks Nayeem...would be nice to see a map just to get bearings...which part of Dhaka does this flyover avoid?

amar11372

May 24th, 2010, 07:51 AM

http://edailystar.com/contents/2010/2010_05_24/content_zoom/2010_05_24_3_0_b.jpg

kodbel

May 24th, 2010, 02:09 PM

http://edailystar.com/contents/2010/2010_05_24/content_zoom/2010_05_24_3_0_b.jpg

Open to traffic? I don't see any traffic here! It's just a wide foot overbridge!!

samaruf

May 24th, 2010, 03:07 PM

^^I like how our people all turnout to walk over a newly inaugurated flyover. Since Bangladesh has so little avenues for entertainment, a 2-lane flyover becomes an instant attraction.

tislam84

May 24th, 2010, 08:09 PM

^^ That is true! I remember when Jamuna Bridge was opened, it was used as a foot-bridge for almost a week!

DzzzMcGzzz

May 24th, 2010, 11:01 PM

^^ Thanks Nayeem...would be nice to see a map just to get bearings...which part of Dhaka does this flyover avoid?

The flyover goes over the Tongi Rail Station. If you search google maps for Tongi Rail Station, you can see that the satellite image shows the flyover under construction, although nearly complete.

Manazir

May 25th, 2010, 07:46 AM

honestly, this flyover's width seems tiny, even for a car!!

manfrom

May 26th, 2010, 05:00 PM

I just pray that they've resurfaced (somehow i dont think so) the roads on either side. Many sylhetis use this route to get to uttara/ZIA airport & last year it was diabolical for pedestrians & vehicles. Cars & minibuses undertrays were constantly scrapping the craters along the road. No way can the road that leads away from Dhaka get classified as a gateway. Heavy lorries use the road & its touch & go when two pass on either direction. The trees & houses are embracing the road. The road simply was not designed for large vehicles. The primary reason for this flyover is to seperate the railway from vehicular traffic? My sympathies for the communities that live along the route as it's dusty & filthy.

samaruf

May 26th, 2010, 05:22 PM

No way can the road that leads away from Dhaka get classified as a gateway. My sympathies for the communities that live along the route as it's dusty & filthy.

You should see the condition of the Dhaka-Chittagong alley(yes, it is just a little wider than some alley roads in this country) in places like Choudhdhagram, Comilla. The road is so bad that vehicles and even rickshaws use the dusty side road to pass thru town to avoid the potholed main road. Other than a few new roads in the southwest and Sylhet, most of the country's road infrastructure is in terrible shape.

tanzirian

May 27th, 2010, 01:10 AM

The flyover goes over the Tongi Rail Station. If you search google maps for Tongi Rail Station, you can see that the satellite image shows the flyover under construction, although nearly complete.

Thanks for the info

samaruf

June 10th, 2010, 08:34 PM

I'm not getting this budget proposal. Why are they going to reduce the price of certain cars when we all know the influx of cheap(relative) cars on limited roads has led to severe clogging of Dhaka's thruways?

From today's Daily Star:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=142210

Prices of cars cylinder capacity (CC) between 1001 and 1500 will go up by 15 percent. The prices of cars between 1501 and 1650cc will be reduced by more than half. While the prices of luxury vehicles from 1651 to 4001cc and above remain unchanged. The duty on micro-bus up to 1800 cc has been increased by 10 percent.

Aren't most Toyota Corollas +1500 CC?

jason.kazi

November 3rd, 2010, 01:21 AM

Downtown crumble, uptown hassle
Shoddy roads, crumbling pavements belie Gulshan’s reputation as capital’s plush area
Dhaka

WEDNESDAY, 03 NOVEMBER 2010 AUTHOR / SOURCE : FAISAL MAHMUD
Dhaka, Nov 2: When the uptown’s roads of a capital have dilapidated traffic islands, then it really poses concern for a citizen with a normal conscience. Most of the traffic islands of the Gulshan area of the capital are now looking like a wound, surgically half-done. Besides being an eye shore, they also pose threat to the walkers especially to the jay-walkers. And the cloud of dust from the decrepit traffic islands envelopes the area, much to irritation to the passerby, drivers and the local businessmen.
Through an on-spot visit, this correspondent from The Independent figured out that almost 80 percent of the traffic islands of the Gulshan area were of dilapidated condition. Talking with some locals it was found that the materials for renovation such as sack of cements, bricks, concrete pillar, iron railing have been piled up there for months but no progress was visible.
Even contacting the Dhaka City Corporation wasn’t a help as they couldn’t provide much information about the stagnated construction work there.
Not only that, some large potholes, some in the middle of the busy Gulshan Circle-1 has actually created traffic congestion as vehicles have to compromise with them taking much time to reach the destination. And Vehicular movement in the area is causing further damages to the road.
The condition of the road systems of the very area which houses embassies reveal the rundown condition of the roads of the capital as a whole.

Source: The Independent

sathya_226

December 5th, 2010, 09:00 AM

Do you think the curve of that flyover is uneven in some stretches.... Any ways nice to see our neighborhood marching ahead in the path of development with various infrastructure projects.....

Good going BD....

Cheers
Sathya

jason.kazi

December 6th, 2010, 05:51 AM

DMP drive fails to enhance
traffic rules compliance
FM Masum
A month long drive by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police failed to enhance enforcement or compliance of traffic rules in the city.
The drive utterly failed to ensure seatbelt and motorbike helmet compliance, said critics.
Dhaka shows little sign of enhanced enforcement or compliance with traffic safety rules, they said.
And the city roads are no safer than they were before the drive, they said.
The DMP launched the drive on November 1 to curb fatal road accidents that claimed several lives in the capital in last two months.
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority—the official transport regulators—issued a notice asking owners to get all motorised vehicles equipped with seatbelts by October 31.
Mobile courts checked and fined drivers across the country from November 1 for failing to wear seatbelts.
The BRTA enforcement department launched a massive awareness campaign before the special drive began on October 27.
However, the much-vaunted initiative proved useless as the owners failed to install seatbelts in public transports, particularly buses, microbuses, trucks and three wheelers.
DMP commissioner Benajir Ahmed told New Age that hundreds of cases had been filed against the vehicle owners and drivers for driving on the city roads without wearing seatbelts.
He said it would take time before better compliance could be ensured.
But BRTA director for enforcement Tapan Kanti Sarkar told New Age that the police failed to enforce the rules despite a clear directive from the regulators.
Similar drives in the past also failed to enhance compliance with traffic safety rules.
A recent move to enforce the lane system on the city’s major roads proved totally abortive.
A police drive, earlier in the year, to remove from the congested city roads worn out buses, trucks and other vehicles also failed due to police-transport owners’ nexus.
Critics say that the owners greased the authorities to make it an ineffective drive.
No wonder the vehicles worn out by age are back, after a break of a couple of days, to make the roads as congested as ever, they said.
According to BRTA, about 13,780 vehicles, have registrations to run on city roads, though they lost road worthiness long back.
The owners pressed the vehicles into service at least 20 years back or even earlier, as the regulators’ statistics show.
Among the worn out vehicles are: 1,446 buses and 2,365 mini-buses and about 8,125 trucks and 1,842 vans that ran for more than 25 years.
In September 2010, the police launched a futile drive to discourage car owners from installing additional bumpers a cause of fatal road accidents.

Source: New Age

iamgr8

December 6th, 2010, 08:40 AM

Gulshan - Jatrabari Flyover http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTbpEaEZ4no
3D Presentation

jason.kazi

December 8th, 2010, 04:38 AM

Gulshan - Jatrabari Flyover http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTbpEaEZ4no
3D Presentation

Very nice, although I didn't understand the video completely

jason.kazi

December 8th, 2010, 04:43 AM

Well, what else is new?

Mega projects in huge mess
Staff Correspondent
Most projects the Awami League government has taken up to improve the traffic situation in Dhaka failed to meet deadlines due to lack of coordination between different ministries and agencies.

Although construction of the Jatrabari-Gulistan and cantonment flyovers has begun recently, the projects of the elevated expressway, metro rail, a few underpasses and overpasses are facing delays.

An inter-ministry meeting was held at the communications ministry yesterday where a committee was formed to coordinate the quick implementation of the projects.

A Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB) official will lead the committee, which will also have representatives from the communications, public works and planning ministries, Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) and the army.

Construction of first metro rail from Uttara Third Phase to Sayedabad, chalked out in the Strategic Transport Plan (STP), is still in the primary stage and the government requires at least a year to complete all the procedures.

In the first stage of the construction, the metro rail will be built between Pallabi and Hotel Sonargaon intersection between 2013 and 2015.

In the second stage, it will be constructed between Sonargaon intersection and Sayedabad and from Pallabi to Uttara in the third.

"Construction of the 22km metro rail may be delayed, as there are many more things to finalise," said an official of the DTCB.

Japan expressed interest in financing 80 percent of the cost ($1.7 billion) to construct the 22km metro rail from Uttara Third Phase to Sayedabad via Pallabi. The government will pay the remaining 20 percent of the cost.

It will mostly be an elevated system and will be built mainly over government land and existing roads.

Meanwhile, the DCC has chalked out a project to construct four underpasses between Shahbagh and Farmgate with a target to complete them by end of 2011.

The Tk 170 crore project was earlier scheduled to start this month but it will now be delayed by about a year.

The four-lane underpasses will enable uninterrupted vehicular movement through Bangla Motor and Sonargaon intersections on Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue.

Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain said construction of the elevated expressway might start next month but officials in the ministry said it might take more time to finalise everything.

A seven-member expert committee headed by Prof Jamilur Reza Chowdhury is set to select a firm next week for the construction of the expressway from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Narayanganj.

The projects to construct Moghbazar-Malibagh flyover, circular trains service around Dhaka city, and overpasses at level crossings are also in the primary stages. Two overpass projects, Banani and Jurain, were, however, finalised and are expected to start soon.

Yesterday's meeting was convened to discuss various limitations of different projects.

"We must have proper coordination so that one project does not conflict with the other delaying the implementation," said Abul Hossain.

Construction of the Hatirjheel project, a tunnel from Jahangirgate to Bangabandhu International Conference Centre and the under-construction Kuril flyover were also discussed in the meeting.

Communications Secretary Mozammel Haque Khan, Maj Gen Hamid Al Hasan of army headquarters, Brig Gen Shahidur Rahman, Prime Minister's Military Secretary Brig Gen Md Salahuddin Miaji, additional executive director of DTCB SM Salehuddin, member of Rajuk M Mahbubul Alam, and project directors and designers of different projects were present at the meeting.

Source: The Daily Star

DzzzMcGzzz

December 9th, 2010, 12:13 AM

Gulshan - Jatrabari Flyover http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTbpEaEZ4no
3D Presentation

This video is awesome. By the graphics, it was made using VISSIM (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VISSIM). When I visited Dhaka in 2007, I was supposed to study this flyover as part of my research project, but it had gotten cancelled due to the corruption issues. To see this model took my breath away, since I had always imagined how it would look and function. Very cool!!!

jason.kazi

December 11th, 2010, 05:03 AM

DTCB to co ordinate projects
to ease tailback in capital
United News of Bangladesh . Dhaka
The Dhaka Transport Coordination Board will coordinate the implementation of various projects carried out by the government, aiming at cutting traffic congestion in the capital.
The decision came from an inter-ministerial meeting through negotiation with the all stakeholders at the communication ministry Tuesday afternoon.
Communications minster Abul Hossain presided over the meeting.
During the meeting, Abul Hossain stressed the need for effective coordination of these projects to cut traffic congestion as well as public suffering.
He also emphasised considering the opinion of experts, ahead of starting construction works, and concluding these works as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Dhaka City Corporation approved the construction of four footbridges at Shahbagh, Karwanbazar, Bangla Motor and Shonargaon intersections. Bangladesh Army will implement the projects.
The meeting also discussed the Mirpur-Airport Road Flyover project, the Kuril Flyover, Mayor Hanif Flyover, elevated expressway and proposed Bus Rapid Transit project.

Source- New Age

jason.kazi

December 11th, 2010, 05:11 AM

Prolonged drizzle causes
water-logging in capital
Water-logging to such an extent
is normal: DCC mayor
Staff Correspondent

Though the rain that fell on the city for less than two days hardly amounted to more than a drizzle, many places in the city went under ankle-deep water due to faulty drainage.
The Meteorological office said that 88 millimetres of rain fell from Wednesday evening to 12:00 noon yesterday.
‘88 millimetres of rain fell in Dhaka city till Thursday noon,’ Dhaka Met office’s meteorologist, Bazlur Rashid, told New Age.
Meteorologist said that the rainfall was caused by a depression on the Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas.
Most of the main thoroughfares including the ones in Motijheel, Naya Paltan, Shahbagh, Shantinagar, Mirpur-1, Mirpur Road, Outer Circular Road and Bijoy Nagar, along with Manik Mia Avenue, Bijoy Sarani, Darus Salam Road, Airport Road and Roquiah Sarani, remained under ankle-deep water for hours.
Officials of the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha and Dhaka City Corporation blamed each other for the water-logging caused by only a prolonged drizzle in the capital.
The rain that started from Wednesday and continued till Thursday noon compelled city dwellers to keep themselves indoors, except those having urgent business.
Passengers of long routes also had to suffer a lot as the rain delayed their journey as well as caused traffic congestion, even on the highways.
Many CNG-powered three-wheelers were grounded on the roads when their engines stopped operating after water ran into their exhaust pipes.
Capitalising the situation, the drivers of other types of transport, especially of rickshaws, charged extra fare which the helpless commuters were forced to pay.
The WASA allocated Tk 20 crore while the DCC, apart from its regular expenditure, decided to spend over Tk 30 lakh to clean the city’s drains following an instruction of the LGRD ministry.
‘The city’s surface drains and catch pits, which are maintained by the DCC, should be kept clean to ensure quick disposal of rainwater,’ said Liakat Ali, deputy managing director (operation and maintenance) of Dhaka WASA. ‘In most cases, water-logging occurs due to neglect of the surface drains and catch pits.’
When asked why the city is water-logged even after such a minimal shower, DCC mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka replied, ‘Water-logging to such an extent is normal.’

Source: New Age

jason.kazi

December 11th, 2010, 05:19 AM

Gridlock slows city life

Extreme traffic gridlock has become a common phenomenon in the city. Photo: STAR
Staff Correspondent
Arifa, a private jobholder, left her Shahjahanpur residence at 9:00am to attend a very important meeting scheduled to be held at 10:00am at her Shahbagh office.

But she failed to reach her destination on time as she reached the office at 12:00 noon due to huge traffic congestion yesterday.

It took CNG run auto-rickshaw driver Almas around two hours to come to Farmgate from his Motijheel residence, which usually takes 30 to 50 minutes.

Like Arifa and Almas, city dwellers experienced huge tailbacks at almost all intersections and busy areas in the capital from morning to noon yesterday.

Though traffic congestion in the city is a regular phenomenon, yesterday's congestion was far more severe than the usual days, which made city commuters suffer huge problems like Arifa.

According to Dhaka Metropolitan Police, due to movement of some VIP and the parliamentary session scheduled to resume yesterday, vehicular movement needed to be restricted at intervals at different points in the city, resulting in huge tailbacks.

Deputy Commissioner Traffic (West) Selim Mohammad Jahangir of Dhaka Metropolitan Police said once a tailback is created at some point in the city, its impact falls on surrounding areas.

He added that the situation needs several hours to come back to normalcy.

“We face huge traffic congestion on Sunday regularly as this is the first working day of the week after two days of weekly holiday but yesterday's traffic congestion was more severe,” said Almas.

Police sources said severe traffic congestion took place at Farmgate, Banglamotor, Bijoy Sharani, Jatrabari, Malibagh, Mouchack, Shahbagh, Mohakhali, Gulshan, Banani and Uttara areas.

At many level crossing, it was seen that its guard kept the bars down to keep the rail tracks free from traffic as the apparently unending long tailbacks tended to stretch onto the rail track due to unusual stoppage periods at traffic lights.

On duty rail guard at Tongi Diversion road level crossing of Moghbazar kept the bar down, stopping vehicular movement over the tracks as traffic came to a standstill at Moghbazar intersections for over half an hour around 1:00pm.

Contacted, the guard said if he did not keep the bar down the queue of vehicles will come onto the rail tracks. With no rooms to go forward or backward, the vehicles would be caught on the path of oncoming trains, resulting in an accidents, he added.

Source: The Daily Star

jason.kazi

December 11th, 2010, 05:23 AM

Project to buy 450 buses for BRTC okayed
Ecnec approves 12 projects involving Tk 2,086 crore
Unb, Dhaka
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) at a meeting yesterday approved 12 development projects involving Tk 2,086 crore, including a project to procure 450 buses for the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC).

The meeting approved the projects with Ecnec Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Of the total project cost, Tk 1,415 crore will come from the government exchequer while Tk 671 crore as project assistance, according to Planning Minister AK Khandker who briefed reporters after the meeting.

The projects are the right shore conservation project of the River Jamuna in Kazipur and Sadar upazilas of Sirajganj (Tk 276 crore); Char Fassion and Manpura town under Bhola district conservation project (revised, Tk 143 crore); embankment rehabilitation and strengthening project of the River Gomoti (Tk 73 crore); river bank conservation project of Tamruddin and Banglabazar areas under polder 73/1 (A+B) in Hatia upazila of Noakhali (Tk 61 crore); river erosion protection project in Saghata Bazar of Gaibandha and embankment conservation project of the River Brahmaputra in Roumari upazila of Kurigram (Tk 170 crore); left shore conservation of the River Padma in Sujanagar upazila and right shore protection of the River Jamuna from erosion in Bera upazila of Pabna (Tk 201 crore); post literacy and continuing education for human resource development project-2 (2nd revision, Tk 575 crore); Jagannath University development project (Tk 100 crore); Baniachhang-Ajmiriganj road construction project (Tk 73 crore);

Mariners by-pass road development from Bahadderhat crossing to the River Karnaphuli with diversion canal and adjacent canals rehabilitation project (Tk 57 crore); procurement of Double Decker, single Decker AC and articulated buses for BRTC project (TK 303 crore); and Road infrastructure development and further beautification project adjacent to the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium and Bangabandhu National Stadium (Tk 54 crore).

Source- The Daily Star

mirzazeehan

December 12th, 2010, 01:26 AM

Gulshan - Jatrabari Flyover http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTbpEaEZ4no
3D Presentation

Thanks for sharing this...it's gulistan to jatrabari btw

jason.kazi

January 17th, 2011, 11:58 PM

BRTC launches buses for Dhaka schools

FE Report

State-owned Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation has rolled out 14 buses for Dhaka's 26 top schools situated in the city's busy Mirpur and Azimpur areas.

Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain inaugurated the buses at Mirpur Bangla College, saying the service would cut congestion during the busiest hours of the day.

The buses, whose number will be increased if they become popular, will run from Mirpur 12 to Azimpur after a gap of 10 minutes. They will operate from 6 am to 9am and 12pm to 3 pm.

With the service, the BRTC has rolled out 100 buses in the capital to ease traffic jam, Hossain said, adding the state-owned bus operator also has a plan to add 1,000 buses including double-deckers in its fleet by year-end.

He said the long-awaited school bus service would lessen pressure of motorised vehicles on key city areas where top schools are located. It also will ensure some worry-free time for the parents and guardians.

Officials said the BRTC, with the help of Dhaka City Corporation, has built passenger shades at 33 stoppages within the route and introduced woman guides to pick and drop students.

Traffic policemen have been ordered to give priority to the buses so that the children reach their destinations in time.

The authorities have also introduced GPS technology in each of the buses to help guardians track their kids through text messaging. Television has been introduced to entertain the children.

Officials said the government has planned to introduce more BRTC school buses in other routes of the city gradually after evaluating success of the Mirpur-Azimpur service.

The latest bus service has been launched after a Dhaka Metropolitan police study blamed 50 top schools and colleges for worsening the city's traffic gridlock.

Five schools and colleges have been blamed for bringing traffic to a near halt in the busy Mirpur road. English medium schools mushroomed in Dhanmondi are found guilty of blocking traffic in the posh residential area.

Other schools are blamed for causing traffic chaos in the main arteries at Uttara, Bailey Road, Malibagh Road, Farmgate, Moha-mmadpur and Kakoli crossing near the Dhaka Cantonment.

Source: Financial Express