Average traffic speed 7kmph in Dhaka: Report

Staff Correspondent: Average traffic speed in Dhaka has dropped to 7km per hour, reducing from 21km in last 10 years, according to a World Bank (WB) report.

The report also reveals that the current traffic speed is slightly above the average walking speed (5kmph) that ultimately eats up 3.2 million working hours a day, causing Bangladesh to lose billions of dollars every year.

The World Bank published the report in a programme held at Hotel Sonargaon in the capital on Thursday.

As part of the Global City, the organisation is conducting the study how to establish Dhaka as the 'Power House' of Bangladesh's economy.

According to the report, it is possible to make arrangements for additional 50 lakh people in Dhaka. At the same time, it is also possible to create new jobs for 18 lakh people. But for this, three measures are needed to be taken. Which are setting up an embankment on Balu river to prevent flood and to divert water flow. accomplishing coordination to improve movement of increasing common and public transports and establishing a “Business District” on the eastern part of the capital Dhaka.

The three steps will need an estimated cost of 1.5 crore US dollars. But it will help to run economic activities of 5,300 crore US dollars in a year by 2035, the report read.

It said, the economic activities will intensify income of Dhaka dwellers, increasing per capita income to 9,200 US dollars from the state of current 8,000 US dollars by 2035.

Martin Rama, the WB chief economist for South Asia, Hossain Zillur Rahman, the executive chairman of Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) and Anthony Venables, British economist and Professor of Economics at the University of Oxford, attended the programme presided over byt WB’s country director Qimiao Fan.
 

risingbd/Dhaka/July 05, 2018/Hasibul/A K Azad