BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), BRAC University launched one of its annual flagship research reports titled The State of Cities 2016: Traffic Congestion in Dhaka City - Governance Perspective on 27 December 2016 at a hotel in Dhaka.
Professor Syed Saad Andaleeb, Vice Chancellor, BRAC University and Professor Nazrul Islam, Chairman, Centre for Urban Studies (CUS), attended the event as the Guests of Honour. Mr. Naim Ahmed, Former Commissioner, Dhaka Metropolitan Police, discussed the report, while Dr. Sultan Hafeez Rahman, Executive Director of BIGD chaired the event. Dr. Shanawez Hossain, Research Fellow of BIGD presented the findings and recommendations of the research report at the event.
Learned participants and professionals participated in a Q/A session which followed the formal launching. The event was also attended by relevant professionals, academics, experts and media who discussed the report and shared their opinions.
This is the fifth report of its kind, this time focusing on the problem of traffic congestion in Dhaka city. The study's main objective was to examine the governance and institutional issues underlying traffic congestion in Dhaka, and develop proposals to tackle the issues and strengthen the institutions responsible for Dhaka's transport management.
The study focused on the Dhaka Metropolitan area and six key government agencies in particular – Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) and RAJUK . Based on 'governance perspectives' the investigation was conducted adopting a 'political economy framework'. Data was collected from both primary and secondary sources through key informant interviews, a 'score-card' survey of the six institutions, case studies and site observations. A major questionnaire survey of 774 transport users was also carried out to obtain people's views of the main traffic issues and priorities for action.
The survey of transport users found that most people identified management issues as the main causes of traffic congestion. Therefore effective traffic management, including restraining the demand for private transport, is crucial for reducing Dhaka's congestion.
The report also examined the institutional arrangements and coordination mechanisms for transport in Dhaka. There are over 30 agencies involved in transport in the metropolitan area, which makes coordination very difficult. The main transport coordinating authority (DTCA) is significantly under-staffed and lacking authority and similarly, most of the key institutions are internally challenged due to limited human capacity, limited equipment, poor internal accountability mechanisms and lack of transparency; and externally challenged in their co-ordination with other organisations as they are all responsible to different ministries. This diffusion of responsibility together with DTCA's weakness is considered the single most important challenge for improving transport co-ordination in Dhaka.
The study found that despite many laws and much activity by the enforcement agencies, drivers frequently break the rules and likewise, pedestrians. A high proportion of road users admitted they sometimes broke the traffic laws, and bus drivers were considered more likely to break the laws than private drivers. However, people identified the main causes of traffic law violations as competitive pressures on bus operators, and poor police enforcement.
The study examined institutional issues relating to enforcement. Regarding BRTA, it was noted that the driver and vehicle license system is dominated by 'brokers' who charge substantial fees and can even arrange a license without a test. In 2015 there were nearly 2 million fake licenses issued, according to the High Court.
The report also found that entry to the bus sector in Dhaka was very difficult due to informal payments and the need for political connections, which tended to reduce healthy competition. Although government officials deny it, bus operators allege that standard monthly informal payments are paid, as well as random on-the-spot daily payments. Both types of payment are facilitated by weak guidelines and processes from the enforcing agencies. Bus operators considered informal transactions constituting as one-half of their monthly operating costs, reducing their profitability which was further reduced by Dhaka's increasing congestion. As a result, bus service quality was compromised since the operator's survival depended on management of informalities and their focus was shifted from passengers to patrons.
Management of hawkers and sidewalks presented a similar picture: Dhaka's 2.6 lac hawkers are actually highly regulated and pay significant sums to the authorities for the privilege of trading on the streets. The system is well-organised, with informal daily payments to 'line-men' as well as monthly informal rents. The funds are passed on to the enforcing authorities as well as local political parties, and the total sums are quite remarkable. However, this informal management of Dhaka's footways has negative consequences for almost everyone: for the general public, who suffer from crowded footways and increased traffic congestion; for the hawkers, who pay high rents yet face daily insecurity; and for the city authorities, who lose substantial revenue income.
The report also examined the costs and impacts of traffic congestion on Dhaka's citizens, particularly the economic and the social costs. With a case study of a particular route of Dhaka of 26km, the average off-peak journey speed for motor vehicles was measured at around 22 kph, while the peak period average speed fell to around 9 kph. The economic cost of this delay was estimated at around Tk. 227 crore per month ($28.4m per month), or roughly Tk.53 for each passenger trip, most of which was due to lost time rather than vehicle operating costs. If other components of Dhaka's traffic congestion are taken into account, such as environmental and social costs, the results are even more alarming. The study also identified that the impact was heavily clustered among service holders, who had a higher willingness-to-pay to avoid or reduce congestion.