Urban planners, green activists and academics have called on the government to ensure an effective and coordinated transport system and build infrastructure which is friendly to pedestrians and cyclists as part of the efforts to reduce traffic congestion in the capital.
They made the urge on Wednesday ahead of the World Car Free Day to be observed on Friday.
At a seminar titled “Necessity of private vehicle control and measures taken in Dhaka’s transport system” at the National Press Club, speakers said traffic jam is increasing every day in Dhaka and flyovers have hardly made any solution to this problem.
Mentioning that private cars take up more space on the road and carry a few passengers, they put emphasis on ensuring a sustainable transport system by curbing the use of private cars.
Poribesh Bachao Andolon (POBA) Chairman Abu Naser Khan chaired the seminar and Work for a Better Bangladesh Trust (WBB Trust) Senior Project Manager Ziaur Rahman moderated it. Institute for Planning and Development (IPD) Executive Director Adil Mohammed Khan presented the keynote speech at the event.
Adil Mohammed emphasised the need to determine the number of personal vehicles in cities and advocated for increased government investments in building pedestrian-friendly infrastructure to reduce traffic congestion.
In his speech, Abu Naser stressed the importance of prioritising the people’s welfare in development efforts.
He advocated for building car-free streets through careful planning and analysis, and increasing service and coverage of the bus route rationalisation scheme for various routes across the city.
The POBA chairman also suggested reducing investments in costly projects such as expressways and flyovers, while increasing investments in public transportation, including buses, railways, and waterways.
WBB Trust Director Gaus Piari, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) Joint Secretary Humayun Kabir Sumon, IPD Director Md Ariful Islam, Prottasha General Secretary Helal Ahmed, and Associate Professor of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at BUET Sadia Afroz also spoke.
