The Accident Research Institute at BUET has recently released an important research report about traffic congestion in Dhaka. It said that about 5 million working hours are wasted in the city every day because of congestion.

The findings also show that the average speed of vehicles at peak traffic slows down to 5 km/h which is less than the average walking speed. It also estimated that the annual economic cost of congestion is about Tk 200-550 billion.

Congestion is a problem in almost every major city in the world. But nowhere is it as extreme and out of control as it is in Dhaka. The government should seriously take heed of this. It should consult experts and take the necessary steps that they suggest in order to reduce congestion down to a tolerable level.

Md Zillur Rahaman, By email