ANNOTATING ASSIGNMENT

NAME : MOCHAMMAD NAZRIL RAMADHAN

TPB : 60

PRODI : ARSITEKTUR

ARTICLE

Bangladesh loses 40% of fuel due to poor traffic management

DHAKA, Bangladesh

The poor traffic and road management has not only decreased vehicular speed in Dhaka, the
capital of Bangladesh from 21 kilometers per hour (kmph) to about 6.5 kmph in the last 12
years but also causes 40% of fuel wastage, according to the Accident Research Institute (ARI) of
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Md.
Hadiuzzaman, the director of ARI, said poor traffic management is causing huge financial losses
to the country.“Our studies say that Dhaka’s poor road traffic management and jam cause as
much as 40% fuel waste worth Bangladeshi taka 41.5 million ($483,872) daily. The 1.4-time
higher fuel consumption due to traffic jams is also affecting the economy,” he said.Hasanul
Banna, 35, a commuter who works at a private company, said it takes him almost one and half
hours to travel a distance of 3.8 km every day from his home to office.“I have to keep a margin
of additional two hours when I have to travel on public transport in Dhaka. If you have a private
vehicle, it would help you a little. But, if you get stuck in a heavy traffic jam then you don’t
know how many hours it will take to reach your destination,” he said.According to ARI
estimates, the country loses 1.38 billion taka ($160 million) every day due to traffic jams.

A study conducted by the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) blames traffic snarls on low
road capacity. The city of Dhaka has just 7% road capacity against the 25% requirement.
Further, these roads bear a burden of 5-time more vehicles.There are 1.7 million motor vehicles
in Dhaka and only 36,000 are public buses in the 250 square kilometer city, according to the
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority.“It (traffic jam) continues to claim additional times
outside commuters’ working and traveling hours that people usually spend for family, and the
valuable time is being lost on Dhaka roads,” said Mohammad Fazle Reza Sumon, the president
of BIP.

Human toll
The heavy traffic is also taking a toll on human lives, besides causing mental discomfort. At least
413 people were killed while 532 people were injured in 379 road accidents across Bangladesh
in 2021.Road transport expert Moazzem Hossain asked the government to take charge of the
public road transport in Dhaka to bring discipline on the roads, which becomes impossible in
the wake of the private transport system.“We can change the Dhaka city road to what we see in
the UK and Singapore, and it will not cost much. It would cost about 30 billion takas which is
less than some major projects the government is executing in Dhaka transportation,” he said.

The development works like metro rail and long flyovers would help a little to reduce the road
traffic jams until we bring a major change in the road transport system, he added.Saidur
Rahman, who is an executive director of Road Safety Foundation Bangladesh, sought separate
lanes for public and private transport, and speedy and slow vehicles, including a separate lane
for bicycles.The experts urged the government to promote rail and water transport services
within the city as rail and waterways cause less fuel consumption than road transportation.They
said that one liter of fuel can transport as many as 275 tons of goods through a waterway and
175 tons through a railway network. But the same amount of fuel will transport just 25 tons of
goods via road.While the government had tried to introduce a franchise system for the bus
routes, but it had to be deferred fourth time in December as bus operators and owners failed to
reach a consensus on sharing profits.

Mahbub-E-Rabbani, spokesperson for Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), said the
government is working to ensure road safety and keep order on roads.“All of our sections and
entities of BRTA are working closely to address road safety issues. We are aware of the road
safety movement and meeting demands for safe roads after holding meetings with all
stakeholders,” he said.

SUMMARY
Traffic congestion in Bangladesh, particularly in Dhaka, has become one of the worst traffic
jams in the world in the last 12 years. The problem of congestion in this city is the main factor in
wasting fuel in the country, even up to 40%. 1.4 times higher fuel consumption as traffic jams
also affect the economy. economic influence for the country achieve the country loses 1.38
billion taka ($160 million) every day due to traffic jams.

Bangladesh transportation experts appeal to the government, especially the Dhaka city
government to address the congestion problem in Dhaka city which has been a problem for the
past 12 years. according to him Dhaka city could be the city of London or the city of Singapore.
it costs around 30 billion for construction such as flyovers and metro rail lines. it is likely to
overcome the congestion in Dhaka city. However, judging from its development, the
government has failed to use the franchise system for public buses as bus operators and
owners failed to reach a consensus on sharing profits.

Comment/response
Severe traffic jam in Dhaka city, Bangladesh has become a big problem for the last 12 years.
Of course, there are many disadvantages for the people of Dhaka city. The most striking loss is
the economic and time loss. even the country of bangladesh suffered billions of loss and a lot of
energy. so that Bangladesh's transportation experts pleaded with the government to take this
congestion problem seriously. by solving this problem, it will have a good impact on the people
of Dhaka city.

SOURCES
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/bangladesh-loses-40-of-fuel-due-to-poor-traffic-
management/2449934