The government is planning to set up an overhead moving ramp, with seats, on a pilot basis in Dhaka’s Gulshan in an attempt to reduce traffic gridlock.
Filmmaker Abu Syed first presented the mechanical model of a “moving road” concept to combat air pollution and traffic congestion in Dhaka on September 26, 2017.
On August 17, 2019, the Governance Innovation Unit under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) approved the pilot project to set up a 500m moving ramp aiming to inspect its usefulness and functionality.
The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) would take on the pilot project at Gulshan park at a cost of Tk7.5 crore.
However, filmmaker Abu Syed talking to Dhaka Tribune on Tuesday said the DNCC is yet to schedule a meeting in this regard.
Meanwhile DNCC acting chief engineer Sharif Uddin said: “The initiative of a moving road could play a positive role.”
“However, we are yet to fix the date of construction since the city corporation election just ended,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
The government is yet to make an assessment regarding its environmental and commercial aspects.
“We would want to see if it would be implementable; would it be comfortable?” said Abul Kalam Azad, principal coordinator on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Affairs at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
“If such an innovative walkway is practical following the pilot project report, then all kinds of assessments would be done by the government,” he said.
Filmmaker Abu Syed once again made a presentation of the mechanical model of the moving walkway on Tuesday.
The elevated moving ramp model has been put on exhibit at the Sufia Kamal National Public Library premises, scheduled to conclude on Saturday.
Similar exhibitions were held at Shinepukur in Mirpur 2 last year and at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in 2017.
According to Syed’s plan, the moving walkway would be constructed above existing footpaths, or on one or two lanes of the road. It would have two parts: a fixed platform, and a moving section similar to walkways in airports.
The moving section would travel at a speed of 30-50kmph, and would run on rail tracks. People would use platforms to get on or off the road. People could also walk on the platform as footpaths are being occupied.
According to the concept, the road would be 10ft above the ground. People would access the platforms using escalators from footpaths.
The platform and the moving road are estimated to be six feet wide. The conveyor belt would have seating and standing sections with a fixed roof running along the track.
The estimated cost would be Tk5 lakh per km, much lower than the price of fuel burned in traffic congestion every year, according to the concept paper.
Syed further developed six more plans to reduce traffic jams in Dhaka, including the Network Rapid Transport (NRT).
