The bustling city of Dhaka is infamous for its ever-present traffic congestion. With each passing day, the number of vehicles and people grows in the capital, but road infrastructure expansion has struggled to keep pace.
Experts point to factors like road encroachment, poor traffic management and violations of traffic laws as major causes of gridlock.
Traffic conditions have worsened in recent days, and now, to ease the traffic situation, the government has introduced a new plan with guidance from two experts at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet): traffic signals are reverting to a previous approach with red and green lights, along with tighter enforcement measures from the traffic police.
Starting this year, red-green lights will be installed at traffic signals. Additionally, six specific recommendations are being implemented to curb traffic chaos, including more rigorous enforcement from the traffic police, removing illegal vehicles, clearing intersections and setting up designated bus stops for passenger boarding.
Under the supervision of the two Buet experts, the government is tackling traffic in coordination with the traffic police, city corporations and Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA).
Several meetings have taken place with Buet’s Prof Md Hadiuzzaman and Prof Moazzem Hossain to discuss their recommendations, which are at the core of the government’s congestion-relief plan.
Recommendations
The Buet experts’ recommendations for Dhaka traffic are: remove illegal rickshaws (cycle rickshaws and battery-powered ones) from main roads; reinstate the traffic police’s activities as it was before August 5 and enforce traffic laws strictly against violators; limit signal time to two minutes at smaller intersections and five minutes at larger ones; prohibit parking, stopping or passenger boarding within 50 meters of small intersections and 100 meters of large ones; ensure passenger boarding and deboarding only at designated DTCA- and city corporation-approved bus stops, and buses should not stop side-by-side at these stops; and form a mobile team for each of Dhaka’s eight traffic divisions, including a trained traffic engineer, a traffic police officer, and officials from the DTCA and the two city corporations – these teams will troubleshoot issues on the ground and find solutions.
Initial plans
Officials believe that automated traffic control will free up police to perform their core tasks. They said the traffic police’s primary responsibility should be enforcing laws and encouraging drivers and pedestrians to follow road rules, not manually managing traffic flow by standing in the street.
The interim government is starting with an area that stretches from the High Court through Kakrail, Shahbagh, Karwan Bazar and Mohakhali, up to Abdullahpur. This pilot project includes 29 signal points along the route.
“Previous traffic management initiatives were project-based, leading to stalled progress when budgets and deadlines were exhausted,” Dr Hadiuzzaman said.
"This is not a project; it is a problem-driven solution. There is no budget or extra cost associated, and we will be solving problems effectively without added expenses.”
The civil engineering professor continued: "Officials from the traffic police, both city corporations and the DTCA will be involved in this initiative. No additional budget or expenses have been allocated for their work. A team of Buet students is also contributing, motivated not by money but by a commitment to solving issues for the country.
"The traffic lights being installed use our local technology, which greatly reduces equipment costs. They have a long lifespan, and repairs can be done immediately if needed, eliminating the wait time for imports."
Noting that the work on the hardware and software for traffic signals was almost complete, he reiterated that this approach would be cost-effective, using domestic technology.
“Buet has proposed Tk10 lakh per signal for installation and Tk1.5 lakh for monthly maintenance. These signals are not AI-based; they are semi-automatic, allowing for time adjustments by traffic police through remote control, with the option to adapt during peak hours.”
Execution
To implement the experts’ recommendations, teams from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), DTCA and city corporations have already begun work.
On September 29, several officials, including DNCC Chief Executive Officer Mir Khairul Alam, DSCC CEO Md Mizanur Rahman, DMP Commissioner Md Mainul Hasan and DTCA Executive Director Neelima Akhter, met with the government to coordinate efforts.
According to stakeholders, the pilot project is nearing completion, and signal lights will be visibly operational on roads by November. Illegal structures have been removed at some intersections to ease congestion, strict traffic enforcement is in effect, and illegal vehicles and traffic law violators are being dealt with firmly.
DMP Additional Commissioner (Traffic) Khondkar Najmul Hasan said police were actively working on implementing the six recommendations, with the pilot project for traffic signals almost complete and mobile teams formed.
“With the red-green lights, our officers will have more opportunities to enforce traffic laws strictly. Enforcing laws consistently will gradually restore road discipline.”
Najmul said the DMP had enough traffic police officers. “Currently, at least four to eight officers are required at each intersection to control traffic. Automated signals will allow officers to focus on their core duties, helping maintain order and reducing accidents. By adhering to signal lights, traffic flow will remain controlled day and night.”
The previously imported technology was costly and time-consuming to repair, often becoming inoperative. With Buet’s local solution, both costs and repair times will be significantly reduced, experts believe.
Experts at Buet said automated signals would not work effectively during peak hours in Dhaka.
They noted that past automated signals had not aligned with practical needs, as manual intervention was necessary during high traffic volumes.
In many major cities, hand signals were still used during rush hours, they said, adding that the signals would operate both manually and automatically in this pilot project.
Building a better bus system
Dhaka’s public transport backbone is the metro rail, though it is a long-term project. Only one line is operational, and two more are scheduled by 2027.
Meanwhile, buses cover most other areas, and experts suggest reorganizing the bus network to improve efficiency.
Prof Hadiuzzaman recommended the government form a single company to regulate all buses in Dhaka.
According to his suggestion, current private bus owners could either partner with or sell their buses to this company.
"At first, these buses would be upgraded. All buses operated under this company would be of the same quality as metro rail carriages. When people see that buses are more comfortable and faster than private vehicles, they will feel more comfortable leaving their cars behind and opting for buses."