Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology

(BUET)
Department of Civil Engineering

Assignment No: 02
Assignment Name:
Configuration of a Sustainable and Efficient
Transport System
&
Why flyover is not a sustainable solution

Submitted By: Md. Shofiul Islam

Student Id: 0421042405
M.Sc. Engg, Semester: April 2022

Submitted To:
Dr. Md. Shamsul Hoque
Professor
Department of Civil Engineering, BUET
 CONFIGURATION OF AN EFFCIENT & SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT SYSTEM
&
WHY FLYOVER IS NOT A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION

Introduction:
Appropriately planned transportation systems should meet mobility and people requirements and provide
safety and eco-friendly vehicles. An important role in the sustainable development of space is played by
the transport system. It plays a role in the sustainable development of space because transport provides
access to economic and social opportunities for all communities. On the other hand, the sustainability of
transport in the cities is linked to high-quality implementation of innovative systems and to the need to gain
public trust. A transport system can increase the efficiency and quality of life of a community if it is properly
planned and managed, while at the same time the development stimulates transport demand. However,
transport characteristics is different in many areas. User requirements are also different
In rural areas, transport dynamics is very simple where it is very complex and least understood in urban
areas. There is a lot of interaction. Difficult to control human behavior. So, it is very important to understand
urban transport dynamics and user requirements of urban area. Otherwise, it is very difficult to provide an
efficient and sustainable transport system. Configuration should provide according to the demand.

Efficient Transport System:

Efficient transport system means space efficient, fuel free and fuel-efficient system. This is also
environmentally friendly and people friendly. Efficient transport system is economical, faster, reliable and
it also provides safer transport facilities. It conserves land, fuel, and environment. To insure these there is
a need for efficient mode of transportation and efficient infrastructure. This is very important for sustainable
transportation system. To get the efficiency we need to provide proper geometric configuration.

Sustainable System:
A sustainable system is what which give solution for present problem or travel demand as well as has the
potential to respond to the ever-growing future demand without requiring heavy investment. Various
definitions of sustainable transport system are available. According to ECMT 2004, A sustainable transport
system is one that is accessible, safe, environmental friendly, and affordable. In this system fuel
consumption, vehicle emissions, safety, congestion, and social and economic access are of such levels that
they can be sustained into the indefinite future without causing great or irretrievable harm to future
generations of people throughout the world [1]. Pedestrian and cyclists, optimization of road network,
developing public spaces in city centers, parking management are some examples of sustainable
transportation system[2].
Sustainable Transportation Modes and their Configuration:
Urban Area:
Urban area is very space constraint. Along side road there is ribbon development. So, step construction is
very difficult here. Private car requires a huge space. It requires more space when it is in parking mode. So,
we cannot develop a transport infrastructure focusing on private car. It is not going to be a sustainable
system because it is not demand responsive. It also emits greenhouse gases which pollutes environment. It

1
is now a major requirement for urban area to promote public transportation system which can be sustainable
also. It is an efficient mode of transportation.
However, it is very difficult to control the increasing number of private cars. There should be a self-
enforcement system to attract people to take public transport as their mode of travel. There should be a
faster way, reliability, economic, congestion free, stress less journey and good comfort in public
transportation system. If there is a full level of service, it will force people to come to the public
transportation system. It is difficult to give mobility in the pick hour. So, operational augmentation is
required rather than geometric augmentation. Design and configuration should according to passenger per
hour per direction (PPHPD). By increasing these efficiencies of public transport system, we can develop a
sustainable transport system. For efficiency we need to provide proper configuration. Some of the
sustainable transportation modes and their configuration are discussed below:
1. Mass transit: Mass transit (BRT/MRT) is space efficient, reliable & faster; most importantly sustainable
as it is demand responsive. It is important to understand how we can increase capacity. It can be horizontally
or vertically. If it is an articulated facility, then huge turning radius required. There are different
configurations possible for BRT:
• BRT: In the conceptual-design phase, the right-of-way is the first consideration as that is the boundary
of where the BRT corridor will be designed. Once the boundaries of that are understood it is easier to
create design assumptions to see where decisions need to be made due to space constraints. The best
BRT systems have used the opportunity of reconstructing the corridor for exclusive busways to invest
in upgrading the environment for pedestrians and cyclists. This is partly to support sustainable
transportation options, but it is also less of a cost burden to the system to have people arrive at the
station by foot or bicycle than by a feeder bus. The easier it is for these customers to arrive at the
stations, the more customers, and the more revenue. Finally, these improvements have been shown to
help leverage economic development around the corridor. A corridor may have multiple configurations
over its length. We need at least 12 lanes for a BRT system. Much depends on the local circumstances.
Johannesburg, South Africa, has a two-way median-aligned busway until it gets into the downtown
where it splits into one-way, median-aligned busways running on one-way streets [3]. To increase
operational capacity double decker or triple decker bus can be introduced

Figure: BRT system comprises with 12 lanes (Illustrated by Professor Dr. Md Shamsul Hoque)

Urban Road Configuration:

• Urban road should have an access control artery road that will meet the traffic in a controlled way.
• There should be combination of arterial roads with interchanges

2
 • Urban configuration can be built with multimodal system of water, rail and highway corridor.
• Main configuration built with access controlled mobility road in two sides, besides them there
should be service road which will serve the local traffic. In the middle of two mobility roads we
need to build transit corridor which will provide the best level of service and it also gradually
decrease towards arterial and service road. So, the total configuration will be a trinary system. It
will increase the capacity of the road.
• Footpath of the road should be wider which will encourage the people to walk instead of using
private car

Figure: Urban road Configuration ( Illustrated by Professor Dr. Md Shamsul Hoque)

• Metro rail transit: Metro systems have the highest performance of all transit modes. It ensures
capacity, speed, reliability. It has full grade separation from other traffic. A tram or trolley system that
travels mainly along streets with relatively smaller capacity and frequent stops. Users usually board at
street or curb-level. A light rail transit system offers more capacity and speed than a tram usually by
functioning in an exclusive right of way. Multi modal system is required for sustainability
• Pedestrian facility: Sidewalks are not only for strong pedestrians. There can be physically challenged
pedestrians. So, there should be designated path for them also. Walking is a sustainable mode of
transport. There should be attractive pedestrian facility. Empowering to walk and cycleto travel could
profit populace well-being not just by expanding physical action, which forestalls ailment and enhance
prosperity, yet additionally by lessening congestion, air contamination and CO2 outflows, can moderate
upcoming environmental change [4].
• Park and ride facility: Park and ride (or incentive parking) facilities are parking lots with public
transport connections that allow commuters and other people heading to city centers to leave their
vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system (rapid transit, light rail, or commuter rail) [5]. Success of the
individual park and ride facility lies on its ability to connect with the regional transport network and
selection of a site location within that network. As buses do not provide door to door facility it needed
integration with other modes [6].

Rural Area
• Every highway has to provide 2 utilities. They are: Access controlled high speed mobility road and
service road.
• To meet the future demand space should be conserve at the mid portion of the road beside this there
should be mobility and service road. Road should be construct in the periphery.

3
• Economic zone comprises with both transport and land use. It should be an integrated system.
Economic zone should be developed besides the highways and the roads should be built with concreate
materials. It will reduce the congestion.
• To move from one service road to another service road there should be underpass or overpass.
• So the main configuration of a rural road should be: Mobility road in the middle portion and it should
also divided with an access controlled barrier. Service road should be on two sides of the mobility road
and in the intersection there should be interchange because flow interruption generally caused by speed
differential and junction
• Different types of interchange can be introduced like clover leaf, directional, trumpet, Roundabout etc.

Figure: Lay-out configuration of a rural road (Illustrated by Professor Dr. Md Shamsul Hoque)
Why flyover based supply driven solutions unable to provide sustainable Solution?
Answer: Fly over is a supply driven solution which has a finite capacity. But the demand is infinite. We
cannot fulfill the infinite demand with finite capacity. The touch down point of a flyover always deduct
the roads. It creates a bottle neck by reducing number of lanes in a sudden.

Figure: Fly-over in cost of BRT and MRT (Illustrated by Professor Dr. Md Shamsul Hoque)
In the 1st picture we can see a 6 lane road with mix traffic. But in that case there is no dedicated lane for
BRT and MRT. It will cause congestion. In the 2nd picture we can see there is a transit corridor in the middle
portion of the road. It increases huge capacity. Here 1 lane serves as the capacity of 10 lane. So the 6 lane
road turns into a 14 lane road. We can also provide MRT in the underground (3 rd Picture). It will serve as
15 lane road. But for flyover construction we need to construct pier. It will reduce the potential of 25 lane

4
road. At first the road was 6 lanes, after flyover construction it becomes a 4 lane road and flyover is also 4
lanes. So, the total capacity becomes 8 lanes but at the cost of BRT and MRT.
From the above discussion we can conclude that flyover has a fixed geometric capacity. So, it is not a
sustainable solution. Public transport has no limitation, We can run double decker, triple decker according
to the demand.
Conclusion:
Dhaka the capital city has an undeveloped public transport system comprising cycle rickshaws, paratransit,
taxis, and buses. The fast rise in population along with increased and flexible urban land use patterns have
created significant travel demand as well as various transport issues within the city. The capacity of the
road is significantly reduced by poor operating conditions, insufficient traffic management and productive
road utilization. The number of privately owned cars, on the other hand, is increasing day by day because
of undeveloped public transport system and lack of door to door services within public transport link. Major
shares of road space remain filled by small capacity vehicles. Buses being the only mode of mass transit
accessible in Dhaka they carry about 1.9 million passengers per day. The share of mass transit is low, 27
percent of 2 vehicular trips where walking and other non-motorized travels still remain as the leading travel
modes. In view of the exacerbating traffic congestion and deterioration in accessibility, level of service,
comfort, safety, and operational efficiency, we need to promote more efficient and sustainable transport
system [7]. Sufficient BRT system can be provided for achieving sustainable urban transport in Dhaka.
There should be also self-enforcement systems rather than punishment to control the overall systems.
Moreover, we have to ensure proper management and strengthen the governance in transport system.
Flyover should be built outside the city. It should also connect with one way road with touch down on two
sides. Moreover, It occupies the central part of the road where BRT and MRT system can be built. So, we
need to think about increasing operational capacity.

Dhaka is one of the most unlivable cities in the world. To make it livable sustainable transport system is
must. It can provide a pleasant life in many ways-It improves air quality, reduces greenhouse gases, provide
network of safe walking and bi-cycle path, congestion free life, stress reduction and better public transit
system.

Reference:

1. Online TDM encyclopedia- sustainable transportation and TDM (Internet). Vtpu.org. [ cited 2022 July
28]. Available from: https: www/vtpi.org/tdm/tdm67.htm
2. Vashisth A, Kumar R, Sharma S. Major principles of sustainable transport system: A literature review.
International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology. 2018;6(2).
3. 22.2 Roadway Configurations [Internet]. Itdp.org. [ cited 2022 July 28]. Available from:
https://brtguide/itdp.org/branch/master/guide/roadway-and-station-configurations/roadway-configurations
4. Das P, Horton R. Rethinking our approach to physical activity. Lancet (London, England). 2012 Jul
1;380(9838):189-90.
5.Wikipedia contributors. Park and ride [Internet]. Wikipedia, The free Encyclopedia. 2021 [cited 2022
July 28]. Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Park_and_ride&oldid=1016074486
6. Spiller RJ. Park-and-ride planning and design guidelines.
7. Hoque MM, Barua S, Ahsan HM, Alam D. BRT in Metro Dhaka: towards achieving a sustainable urban
public transport system. Proceedings of CODATU XV: The Role of Urban Mobility in (re) shaping Cities.
2012 Oct:1-1.