In spite of the authority’s many announced efforts to solve Dhaka’s mounting traffic congestion that has plagued the city for decades, we haven’t been able to make much headway in this department.
In fact, according to a recent study published by the US-based National Bureau of Economic Research, Dhaka has ranked top on the list of slowest cities in the world. Two other cities in Bangladesh -- Mymensingh and Chittagong -- have ranked ninth and 12th, respectively.
It stands to reason that unless the government drastically rethinks its approach to urban planning, the situation will become much worse if not insurmountable.
According to the report, a nine-mile trip from Dhaka airport to Gulshan takes around 55 minutes, in comparison to a trip with the same distance taking nine minutes from the airport in Flint, Michigan to the Sloan Museum of Discovery in the US.
While the authorities are investing millions in infrastructural development, if the economic activities of the country are not properly decentralized, this issue will become unsolvable. No matter what we do, at the end of the day, we are working with limited space, and it is not possible to host the bulk -- if not all -- of our economic activity needed to support the roughly 170 million people living in this country.
The economic benefits of having multiple major cities should be obvious, as that will aid in the springing of new industries and accelerating urban development throughout the rest of the nation.
The authorities need to double down on decentralization. Long-term plans have to be drawn out in consultation with relevant experts, and decentralization-friendly infrastructure such as the Padma bridge and the elevated expressway need to be prioritized.
There is only one way out of this.