Free main roads from non-motorised vehicles

They said rickshaws are mainly responsible for traffic congestion and called for freeing main roads from non-motorised vehicles.

They also underscored the need for better coordination among Water and Sewerage Authority (Wasa), Tar and Telephone Board (T&T) and other utility agencies.

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The Louis Berger Group of USA and Bangladesh Consultants Ltd organised the roundtable on 'Urban Transport Policy' under the Strategic Transport Plan (STP) project study for Dhaka city.

Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB) has been carrying out the nine-month STP study involving Tk 10 crore. Funded by the World Bank, the study will be completed in December.

The speakers suggested incorporating different issues into the policy, such as ensuring road safety, enforcing traffic rules, stopping use of fake driving licence, expanding the footpaths and preventing encroachment on water bodies.

DTCB Chairman Quamrul Islam Siddique said rickshaws are occupying 73 percent spaces of the city's road network and most of them are unauthorised.

Md Ismail Hossain, former chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), said the motor vehicle act has to be reviewed for proper traffic management.

Dr M Rahamatullah, head of transport division, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), said the Dhaka city is an unplanned subdivision of land.

He suggested earmarking waiting places for rickshaws.

Urban planner Prof. Nazrul Islam, Prof. Muhammad Masum of Jahangirnagar University, Mohi Uz Zaman Quazi, senior transport engineer, WB Dhaka office, Abu Naser Khan, general secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon, also spoke.

David H Jarrett, team leader of the STP study, moderated the discussion. The roundtable focussed on 14 issues drafted in the first roundtable on the STP to formulate the urban transport policy.