NEWS reports quoting a World Bank (WB) study on Friday said ‘Gridlock costs the country $12.56 billion a year’ which is equivalent to 7 percent of GDP to mean that the country can double its economic growth by just eliminating traffic congestion from Dhaka city. It said if Dhaka can be freed from the crisis, the country’s per capita income would go up by $78 to $1,392. The researchers arrived at the estimate by adding the cost of lost travel time, avoidable social cost and the expenses linked to fuel, vehicles and road accidents. Experts also made such assessments in the past and the huge cost of the gridlock is only soaring over the years.
It is not difficult to figure out the root cause of city congestion wasting time and resources. The remedies are also not unknown. But the question is the leadership issue who can be able to deliver and run an efficient administration committed to work to build a modern nation. We have now many big projects to make disbursements and get rich overnight. To have the double growth, we have to root out corruption, make city transport highly efficient and on top of it, we have to ensure transparent public procurement to avoid swindling of budgeted funds. So the WB has nothing to tell us new what new we want is to see a change at leadership level – be it any party – capable to deliver the goods.
Dhaka has one of the lowest road area ratio of any city in the world. It is just 7 percent compared to 25 percent for Paris or Vienna. It supports 10 percent of the country’s population while sitting only on one percent of land. So to reduce road congestion we have to increase the road area and reduce the population. Expansion of road area is almost impossible, so reducing population and introducing mass transport are necessary at the moment.
In fact Dhaka and other industrial towns have become destinations of rural migration for jobs and economic activities. Several million people who live in the slums of Dhaka are adding to the crowding of the city as homeless, landless extreme poor. So attempts should be made to create employment over the entire country to bring jobs and economic activities in rural areas at the doorsteps of the people.
In our view it may be done by setting up special economic zones and by decentralizing the administration and other work opportunities. Private sector may also be given incentives to go to the rural areas. It is the only way Dhaka may be saved and growth may be doubled as the WB said.
It is not difficult to figure out the root cause of city congestion wasting time and resources. The remedies are also not unknown. But the question is the leadership issue who can be able to deliver and run an efficient administration committed to work to build a modern nation. We have now many big projects to make disbursements and get rich overnight. To have the double growth, we have to root out corruption, make city transport highly efficient and on top of it, we have to ensure transparent public procurement to avoid swindling of budgeted funds. So the WB has nothing to tell us new what new we want is to see a change at leadership level – be it any party – capable to deliver the goods.
Dhaka has one of the lowest road area ratio of any city in the world. It is just 7 percent compared to 25 percent for Paris or Vienna. It supports 10 percent of the country’s population while sitting only on one percent of land. So to reduce road congestion we have to increase the road area and reduce the population. Expansion of road area is almost impossible, so reducing population and introducing mass transport are necessary at the moment.
In fact Dhaka and other industrial towns have become destinations of rural migration for jobs and economic activities. Several million people who live in the slums of Dhaka are adding to the crowding of the city as homeless, landless extreme poor. So attempts should be made to create employment over the entire country to bring jobs and economic activities in rural areas at the doorsteps of the people.
In our view it may be done by setting up special economic zones and by decentralizing the administration and other work opportunities. Private sector may also be given incentives to go to the rural areas. It is the only way Dhaka may be saved and growth may be doubled as the WB said.
