The picture of bad planning

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Dhaka needs the right kind of vision that will decrease traffic in the long run

The undertaking to extend the Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover is just the latest example of how Dhaka’s poorly planned public works hurt the residents of this city.

The extension is likely to significantly worsen traffic around the Sonargaon intersection. The last thing Dhaka needs right now is to clog up its vital intersections.

Furthermore, the cost of this project is astronomical. Surely, there are better ways to spend Tk85 crore — planning and vision can go a long way in making a city more liveable, and the public does not have to foot such a large bill.

Add to the bill the fact that underground electricity, gas, water, and fibre optics cables are factors which had not been taken in to account when construction had started.

Unaccounted-for utilities alone will hike up the cost by close to 60%, and the extension will lead traffic directly on to the intersection, which is already one of the capital’s busiest. After the project is finished, traffic may be unmanageable.

Planners have repeatedly warned that this is a bad idea. Then how was such a project allowed to move ahead?

Dhaka needs the right kind of vision that will decrease traffic in the long run. Traffic congestion is truly one of the main culprits behind Dhaka’s reputation as one of the least liveable cities in the world.

With unplanned projects and lack of foresight, we continue to shoot ourselves in the foot.

The government must keep in mind that the capital city is a holistic entity — solutions to one problem might cause bigger problems in another area. Projects approved in an ad hoc basis do not end our problems, they merely create new ones.

From inadequate infrastructure, to unbearable traffic, to never-ending repair-work, Dhaka residents have suffered enough.

It is time for a better plan for the city.

Source: Dhaka Tribune