[sustran] Re: Banning NMT (Rickshaw) on roads of Dhaka city

[Dr Kh Zahidul Hoque]

Dear readers,

I read with much interest the opinion expressed by my fellow Bangladeshi 
researcher (below). No doubt he is right in pointing some of the reasons for 
traffic congestion in Dhaka city. Proper traffic management and 
implementation of the appropriate law are crucial in minimizing traffic 
congestion in a city like Dhaka. While I understand there would be different 
opinion on the issue, I feel what is necessary for Dhaka city is a proper 
planning and management of both motorized and non-motorized transport (NMT).

Banning NMT will cause a number of socio-ecomomic problems, while keeping 
NMT as it is will hinder minimizing traffic congestion. Regarding exclusive 
lane for NMT, I thing Dhaka city is too congested to afford extra lane for 
NMT.

What I suggest is to make provisions for NMT to ply on the minor roads such 
as housing estate roads, etc and keeping the main roads free from rickshaws 
as far as possible. There will be a need for detailed study to identify and 
deferenciate minor and major roads. And, of course, nothing will be 
effective unless it is iplemented proprtly.

Some recommendations:

a) Identify minor roads for NMT
b) Identify major roads where NMT should not be allowed
c) Strict implementation of parking regulations
d) Strict control of illegal dumping on roads
e) Effective coordination and proper house-keeping of road-roaks
f) Rehabilitation program for NMT drivers/pullers/workers

These are few of the many recommendations I think may help alleviate traffic 
jam in Dhaka city.

Sincerely

K Z Hoque, PhD, NUS
Singapore

***************************
>From: "Mohsin J. Sarker" <t9802 at cc.utsunomiya-u.ac.jp>
>Reply-To: sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org
>To: <sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org>
>CC: "Hirotaka Koike" <koike at utsunomiya-u.ac.jp>
>Subject: [sustran] Banning NMT (Rickshaw) on roads of Dhaka city
>Date: Wed, 1 Nov 2000 10:56:54 +0900
>
>Hi there!
>
>There is a news about banning rickshaw on roads of Dhaka city in the
>following URL address.
>
>http://www.nation-online.com/200010/31/n0103101.htm#BODY4
>
>According to this news, Dhaka City Corporation have taken a strategy to
>solve the traffic congestion problem by banning rickshaws on roads
>gradually. Their main target is to make Dhaka city totally free of
>rickshaws. In response to this news, I wrote my opinion on the main reasons
>of traffic congestion in Dhaka city to the various newspapers of 
>Bangladesh.
>Interested readers are welcomed to read my opinion in below.
>
>About banning rickshaw
>
>I am a doctoral course student in Utsunomiya university of Japan. I came
>here from Bangladesh. As I have been doing research on urban and
>transportation planning emphasizing on non-motorized transport (walking,
>cycling, rickshaw, etc) and mass transit, I have come to know various
>transportation strategies that are practiced in various countries 
>worldwide,
>such as Japan, Europe, USA, and also in few Asian countries. Nowadays,
>developed countries are facing various problems, like environmental,
>financial, and social, due to the excessive usage of motorized private
>transport. These countries have already realized the drawbacks of excessive
>usage of automobile. As a result, they are now discouraging the usage of
>automobile and encouraging the usage of non-motorized transport (NMT).
>Instead of banning NMT on roads, they are providing facilities, such
>exclusive lane for cycling and footpath for walking. In Portland, USA, 
>there
>are roads where automobile is banned. Only buses and NMT are allowed in
>these roads. They got best transport city prize in USA.
>
>My point is that developed countries are trying to promote NMT, because 
>they
>already realized the problems of excessive use of automobile. On the other
>hand, developing countries are doing just opposite; they are discouraging
>NMT and encouraging automobile. The governments of developing countries as
>like Bangladesh blame NMT as one of the main reasons for traffic 
>congestion.
>But I think from my experience in Bangladesh that management is the main
>problem of traffic congestion. Police in charge of traffic control
>neglecting their duties; they are busy in collecting illegal money from
>vendors for taking footpaths and even some portion of roads; They are also
>collecting illegal money from bus drivers, rickshaw pullers and also from
>the user of private vehicles for parking their buses, rickshaws and 
>vehicles
>in illegal places, for taking wrong right of way, for disobeying traffic
>rules, for not having driving license, and also for not having fitness
>certificate of vehicles. Let me give you an example. May be few months ago,
>there was a severe traffic congestion in all roads of Dhaka city. Traffics
>were clogged everywhere in city. Then, the mayor of Dhaka city requested
>Bangladesh Army to handle this traffic congestion. After taking charge of
>traffic control by Army, within one or two hours, all roads became free of
>congestion. There was no congestion after that till the Army was in power 
>of
>traffic control. But just after going back to their barracks, again traffic
>congestion occurred on roads of Dhaka city. Now I think the reader can
>realize the main reasons of traffic congestion in Dhaka city.
>
>
>Mohsin J. Sarker
>Regional Planning
>Utsunomiya University
>Email: mohsin_jp at yahoo.com
>
>

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