Bangladesh capital gridlocked for 7.5 hours a day: study
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Traffic in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka is at a standstill for an average of 7.5 hours a day, according to a government study that highlighted the huge economic toll of congestion.
"Dhaka is perhaps the worst congested city in the world. It is fast becoming unlivable," Santosh Kumar Roy, an engineer with the Roads and Highway Division which conducted the study, said Monday.
"Tailbacks are becoming bigger and bigger," he said. "We have found that between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm, a vehicle spends on average 7.5 hours in traffic jams."
The annual economic loss from the gridlock on Dhaka's four key roads alone amounted to 96 billion taka (1.4 billion dollars) -- one-third of the impoverished country's annual development expenditure, the study found.
According to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, in 2008 nearly 20,000 new vehicles hit the streets of Dhaka, which has grown from a population of 200,000 in 1974 to 12 million today.
Last year the government launched a 20-year plan to transform the city's transport network, including building a metro system, but work has yet to begin.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments