TP Rickshaw Ban Result(1)

8/8/2019 TP Rickshaw Ban Result(1)

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Improving Dhakas Traffic Situation:Lessons from Mirpur Road

Debra Efroymson, MSc

Mahabubul Bari, BSc, MSc (Civil Eng.), MSc,PhD (Transport), MIHT, FIEB, Senior Transport Planner

Roads for PeopleFebruary 2005


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On 17 December, rickshaws were banned on Mirpur Road from Russell Square toAzimpur. The reasons given for the ban were that rickshaws cause traffic jamsbecause they take up too much road space and move more slowly than cars andbuses. The move to ban rickshaws was pushed by the World Bank, which alsopushed the government to ban rickshaws from various other roads in 2005 (seeAppendices 1 and 2).

Roads for People applauds the efforts of the Government of Bangladesh to reducetraffic problems in Dhaka City. We agree that it is wisest to separate non-motorizedtransport (NMT) from motorized transport (MT) on main roads, and that a reductionin traffic jams would decrease suffering of Dhakas inhabitants.

However, much of the work to date appears ill-advised, leading to negativeconsequences in terms of traffic flow, travelers expense, livelihood of the mostvulnerable, and pollution. Research suggests that women in particular are sufferingfrom the rickshaw bans, finding no adequate replacement transport and often

experiencing greater travel costs in terms of both time and money. The ban on non-motorized transport on Mirpur Road has had the following effects:

resulted in at least a 10% increase in monetary costs per trip (actual increaseseems to be much higher as evident from the experiences of the focus groupdiscussions),

induced at least a 50% increase in average journey times per passenger pertrip (our estimate using HDRC and DTCB data),

caused 32% loss of net income by rickshaw pullers, forced one forth of passengers from rickshaws to walking, left no options but to take shelter in more expensive and unreliable modes,

such as baby taxis and taxicabs, even for short trips, for more than one thirdof people, and

caused untold sufferings for the most vulnerable road users like women,children and the disabled.

In this paper we set out some thoughts on some of the current directions of transportpolicy, and our suggestion for improvements.

Ban on NMT on Mirpur Road from Gabtoli to Russell SquareNon-motorized transport was banned on this stretch of road in December 2002 as apilot project. Several more streets are slated for NMT bans. As of December 17,2004, NMT was also banned on Mirpur Road from Russell Square to Azimpur.Human Development Research Centre (HDRC) was commissioned by the DhakaTransport Coordination Board (DTCB) to investigate positive and negativeconsequences of the ban and make recommendations for further potential bans.

This section summarizes the findings of that report, while also raising a significantquestion: to what extent is it acceptable to increase poverty among the poorest forthe sake of a small perceived benefit in travel time, and also at the cost of highertransport costs and some decreases in mobility? Put another way, how much are the


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poor and middle class expected to suffer for the convenience of car owners to drive abit more quickly (except in cases where the jams quickly revert to previous levels, asappears to have happened on the Russell Square-Azimpur corridor) and to parkwhere they wish along the streets and on the footpaths?

Economic and other impact of ban on NMT pullersThe HDRC study found various impacts on NMT pullers (rickshaws, vans and handcarts) when comparing their situation before and after the ban. These include:

1. Average monthly net income of rickshaw pullers decreased by32%, from3,834 to 2,600 taka (see Table 1 and Figure 1 below). Overall, income forNMT pullers declined by 34%.

2. The amount of money sent back to their villages also declined following theban. Before the ban, on average rickshaw pullers spent 64% of net incomeand sent the rest (36%) to his village. Following the ban, the amount spent inDhaka decreased by 27%, while the amount sent to the village decreased by41%. Similar patterns follow for other NMT pullers (see Table 1 and Figure

2).3. Pullers compensated for loss of income by reducing food consumption,particularly of fish, meat, and cooking oil: for NMT pullers overall, 85.9%decreased their consumption of fish, 87.5% decreased consumption of meat,65.1% decreased consumption of cooking oil, and over half (55.3%) decreasedconsumption of vegetables.

4. There was an increase in the number of income earners in the family from 1.24to 1.37. This suggests that some children have been taken out of school tocompensate for lost income, or that the burden on wives of the pullers havefurther increased as they must earn money as well as do all the family andhousehold labor.

5. Average number of working days per month for NMT pullers increased by1.1 days (from 23.67 to 24.78 days a month), and for rickshaw pullers by 1.3days (from 23.18 to 24.44 days a month).

6. Average number of working hours per day also increased, from 10.33 to 10.97hours overall, and from 10.16 to 10.70 for rickshaw pullers.

7. More rickshaw pullers worked full-day than half-day shifts: 60.5% after theban, and 56.7% prior to the ban; the figures overall were 65.1% after the banand 61.5% prior to it.

8. Only about 5% of pullers reported a second income, and that second incomewas insufficient to compensate for the loss of income from the ban.

9. Almost all the pullers (81.6% overall) were affected by loss of income; 86.1%

of van pullers reported decreased income.10.Although HDRC recommends training in driving of MT for displaced pullers,

only 1.6% of pullers overall suggest that they be provided MT driver training,while 55.9% asked for alternative rehabilitation and 31.6% suggestedconstruction of special lanes for NMT. Similarly, while only 6% wanted analternative profession in MT, 36% would like to take on petty trading, 27%return to agriculture, and 23% take on day labour.


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11.Only 4% of pullers supported NMT withdrawal on other major arterial roads;fears expressed by them included hardship for the pullers and their families,and concern that the move would lead to further deterioration of the law andorder situation in the country in general and Dhaka in particular.

Table 1. Average monthly net income (from pulling NMT) before and afterwithdrawal and distribution of their net income for supporting Dhaka and villageestablishments [reproduced from HDRC report].

TypeofNMT

Monthlynetincome DistributionofmonthlynetincomeDhaka Village

Before Now Before Now Before NowRickshaw 3,834.17 2,600.15 2,448.02 1,784.98 1,386.16 815.16Van 4,836.25 2,837.03 3,834.58 2,406.47 1,001.67 430.56Pushcart 5,539.43 3,564.80 3,779.43 2,480.33 1,760.00 1,084.47All 4,121.12 2,723.39 2,743.61 1,927.20 1,377.52 769.19

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

taka

rshaw van cart all

Figure 1. Change in monthly net income

following ban

before

after

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

taka

Dhaka Village

Figure 2. Distribution of monthly net income

for rickshaw pullers

before

after


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Problems Faced by Families of Rickshaw Pullers following Mirpur Road Ban1

Nargis Begum is married to rickshaw driver who used to work on the Mirpur Road. A

drop in family income resulting from the ban caused her to make various changes.

Rather than eating three times a day, the family now only eat twice in the morning and

evening. Nowadays they cannot afford to eat fish which they used to eat quiteregularly. In an attempt to raise the family income, one of the daughters was taken out

of school and began working in any garment factory. This work, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

daily, was so grueling that the daughter could not continue.

Another rickshaw driver called Mojammel described how his family had been affected

by the rickshaw ban: 'Before the ban I sent Tk400 home every month, but now I can

only manage Tk300. My life has become very hard day by day. I always wanted my

children to be literate but now I may need to take my 10-year-old son out of education

in order that he can work'.

Research by Khandoker and Rouse shown in the table taken from their report (Table3) indicate that in fact, various people, not only NMT pullers, have seen a decline inincome following the ban.

Table 3. Income data2

Stakeholder Averageincomeprior toDUTP

Averageincome

after DUTP

Mirpur Road

Rickshaw driver Tk 200 Tk 120

Cycle cart driver Tk 130 Tk 70

Hawker Tk 200 Tk 100

Shopkeepers Tk 325 Tk 250

Exchange rate at time of writing: US$1 : Tk 60

HDRCs Summary of Findings and Conclusion: It has been observed that mostNMT pullers have been adversely affected by the withdrawal. The main effects tookthe form of greater hardship through increased number of working days, longerworking hours (hours on the wheel with or without passengers), lower average foodconsumption, spending less money on immediate family and dependants living at

1Nasrin Khandoker and Jonathan Rouse, Urban Developments and Livelihood of the Poor in Dhaka. Paper

presented at 30th

WEDC International Conference, Vientiane, Lao PDR, 2004.2 Table reproduced from Khandoker and Rouse.


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the village home (away from Dhaka), etc. The direct result of making the corridorrickshaw-free fell on the pullers by way of a sizeable reduction in their earningsfrom NMT pulling. These NMT pullers do not appear to have coped well with thewithdrawal. No rehabilitation program appears to have been undertaken by theauthorities to reduce the number of pullers along the corridor. Some NMT pullersappear to have left the corridor area but no definite information could be obtained atthis late stage. No data can be found to have been collected on those who possiblyswitched to other areas or to other occupations.

The effect on rickshaw pullers might be weighed against possible benefits topassengers. [emphasis ours]

Note the final statement: increased labor, decreased food consumption andworsened livelihood of the most vulnerable sections of society might be weighedagainst possible benefits to passengers. This leads to the question of the relativeworth of small potential improvements in speed mostly for passengers in private cars,

when such an improvement results in the deterioration of the living standard for thepoorest. That is, how much misery and hunger is acceptable to improve the speed ofcars?


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Highlights of Focus Group Discussion (from HDRC report):

Rickshaw Pullers

Reasons for choosing the profession: having no land in the village, finding no other job

in Dhaka; fathers death forcing son to seek work. Said one puller, We are poorpeople. There are not many jobs in the village. Parents could not feed us well. We

came to Dhaka because of poverty.

Advantages to rickshaws for passengers: Ability to go anywhere, not being forced to

walk long distances, not getting wet in the rain, being able to reach desired destinations

on time, convenience.

Problems due to the ban: Fewer clothes, less food. I used to buy 2 kgs of rice

everyday but now I can afford to buy only 1 kg per day. I used to eat meat once a week

but now I can only buy meat once a month. Many pullers have stopped sending their

children to schools. Another mentioned his rent being overdue for two months. Thereis no peace at home.

Perceived benefits of MT users: Taxis and CNGs dont want to take passengers unless

they agree to pay in excess of the meter-charged fare. The rich have also benefited.

People who have cars can now travel faster, there is less traffic jams.

Perceived problems of passengers: there is not enough transport to replace the

withdrawn rickshaws. Office goers have to wait in long queues, have to hang like bats

while traveling in local buses. Accidents might happen any time if they drop off the

bus. These passengers could travel comfortably on rickshaws.

Their suggestion to government: Well, if the government could do something so that

we poor could survive. For example, if we are given some capital, we could do some sort

of business or if we are given some land, we could cultivate it and live on it.

Perceived impact of NMT withdrawal on NMT usersThe HDRC study also looked at the impact of the NMT ban on NMT users. Thefindings include:

1. Average daily total expenditure on transport has increased, from 82.7 taka aday before the ban to 91.0 taka following the ban. According to the HDRC

report, This finding is contrary to the expectations of the policy makers whoargued that rickshaw is a costly mode of transport therefore after itswithdrawal, passengers would presumably use public transports that wouldreduce their travel cost as well as travel time. Average daily expenseincreased for all groups except garment workers, for whom it declinedslightly (as walking replaced rickshaws) from 21.3 to 20.5 taka/day (seeFigure 3).


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2. Average monthly expenditure on travel has also increased, from an averageof 500.8 taka/month to 546.4 taka/month. The amount declined for only twogroups: female students (from 159.3 to 136.3) and garment workers (from159.3 to 136.3). The decline represents not so much a savings, as a decrease inconvenience. For other groups, the figure increased, as is shown in Figure 4.

3. On average, people claim their travel time has reduced, on average from 30.4minutes one-way to their usual destination before the ban, to only 22.0minutes following the ban. This result however is flawed for various reasons.Travelers were only asked about their main destination, not about their totaldaily travel time, which means that short trips for shopping or other needsmay well now take much more time, more than compensating for anydecrease in time for longer trips to work. It is also important to rememberthat while ones usually has to wait no more than a minute or two to obtain arickshaw, one may have to wait twenty minutes for a busafter first gettingto the bus stop.According to our estimate using HDRC and DTCB data, average journey

times per passenger per trip has likely increased by at least 50%, due to theshift from rickshaws to the slower mode of walking. For instance, the reportcites a decline in travel time for garment workers from 23.6 minutes beforethe ban to 19.0 minutes after the ban. The usual destination of garmentworkers is presumably work, for which the significant increase was from66.3% to 84.6% walking, and a decrease of 24.0% to 2.9% by rickshaw/van.The percent traveling by bus increased only slightly, from 8.7% to 11.5%; only1% traveled by any other form of motorized transport. How, then, is itpossible that their travel time decreased? Given increase in walking andtaking buses by other groups, the same question arises: is walking actuallyfaster than taking a rickshaw? Given the long waiting time for buses of which

people complain, and the fact that buses unlike rickshaws do not providedoor-to-door transport, is it possible they are actually arriving at theirdestination faster?

4. Only 2.8% of those interviewed reported no benefits to traveling by rickshaw.5. Women and girls are suffering hardship due to the many problems of taking

buses, and making combined rickshaw-bus journeys that take longer and costmore. (Again, the problem of sexual harassment and danger for femalepassengers needs to be weighed against the small benefit in travel time forsome travelers; is it really necessary to subject women to this harassment inorder to speed up slightly the speed of others? It may be noted that this is onearea in which women in Bangladesh have been more privileged than women

in most countries, as the sexual harassment of women on transport is acommon problem throughout the world, but which women and girls havebeen able to avoid through rickshaw travel.)

6. People are traveling less following the ban. The decline in the availability ofconvenient, door-to-door transport caused lifestyle changes in 61.1% of thepeople interviewed, with overall 12.4% reporting a decrease in the frequencyof recreational/social trips. Travel frequency for shopping has declined;overall while 30.3% of all users used to travel less than once a week before the


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ban, the current figure is 40%; declines have also occurred for those travelingonce or twice a day. Those reporting they travel only on rare occasions forother purposes grew from 44.3% to 51%; declines also occurred in thosetraveling once or twice a day. (Other purposes include students visitingtutors, people going to the doctor, etc.) That is, peoples mobility hasdeclined.

7. Most transport users (47.6%) travel only between one and five kilometers perday on average. In terms of their usual destination, 75.8% travel only one tofive kilometers, round-trip. Motorized transport is inefficient (in terms ofexpense, pollution created, and fuel used) for short trips; far more efficientforms include walking, rickshaws, and cycling.

8. On the subject of walking, the HDRC study comments, while walking is ahealthy option, it is not always a feasible option, particularly during badweather or for elderly people or while carrying heavy grocery stuff.Therefore, a shift of transport mode from a mechanized era to a rudimentarymode might slow down economic activities of the locality. It might also

jeopardize the lifestyle of elderly people who does not own a motorizedtransport nor has the physical ability to walk or take a bus and cannot affordto call a taxi. The issue of availability of CNG baby taxis should also be bornein mind in this connection. As noted, CNG is not pollution-free, whilerickshaws are. We would suggest that while improvements in conditions forwalking should be improved, rickshaws should also be maintained as analternative. In any case, CNG baby taxis are not willing to transportpassengers for short distances.

9. As to the continuing popularity of the rickshaw, the main reason given is itsflexibility: as stated in the HDRC report, you can hire a rickshaw to go toany destination; there is no need to change transport or use multiple mode of

transport. This advantage is reinforced in the users minds by the fact thatbuses, like any public transport, do not or cannot stop at everyonesdoorsteps. On the other hand, CNG baby taxis or taxi cabs who are supposedto offer the flexibility of going to any destination, near or far, do not in realityaccept passengers unless the destination is lucrative enough Theexperience of passengers in negotiating trips with taxicabs and/or CNG babytaxis is very frustrating because they simply refuse to take passengers unlessthe destination is right. So much for buses, taxis, and CNG baby taxisreplacing rickshaws.

10.Cost is an additional benefit to traveling by rickshaw, despite claims byauthorities that rickshaws are expensive. According to the HDRC report,

Although public transport offers cheaper means of travel, due to their non-availability, users see taxis and CNG baby taxis as substitutes of rickshawsand tend to compare rickshaw fares with those of the two closest substitutes.

11.Again citing the HDRC report, The third most cited benefit reported by theusers is the easy accessibility of NMTs as plenty of them are available at yourdoorstep. Therefore rickshaw passengers do not have to wait for buses.There is virtually no waiting time for hiring rickshaws.


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12.Further advantages of rickshaws include comfort, ability to get on easilywithout struggling in a crowd (as with buses), not having to squeeze amongother passengers (particularly important benefits for women), ease of carryingluggage, and ease of covering short distances.


Girls and Women

1. School-going children from Dhanmondi Girls School

All the participants complained that it takes longer now to go to school because they

have to use multiple mode of transport. It now takes 2 to 3 hours to reach school while

previously it used to take 1 to 1.5 hours.

The costs have also gone up, said everybody. While it used to cost Tk15 to Tk20

earlier now it takes Tk30 to Tk40 if they cannot catch buses and are forced to take

CNGs.

Problems with taking buses include breaks in travel, long queues, pushing by other

passengers, it being a matter of luck to be able to avail buses, lack of passenger

sheds meaning they must endure sun and rain; and frequent bus stops in addition to

signals, making bus journeys slow. A further reason for delays mentioned in the report

is traffic sergeants who apparently check papers but appear to release upon payment

of money. Girls also mention being hassled by boys, encountering difficulties boarding

moving buses, and not getting seats due to the very limited number of seats reserved

for women, some of which are sometimes taken by men.

Girls also note that due to the hassles to arrive at school, they are distressed by the

time they arrive and thus cant properly concentrate on their studies; the same effect

disturbs their studies on their return home. The problem is worse during exams, since

they must leave earlier; they did not face these problems when traveling by rickshaw.

In terms of advantages of rickshaws, girls mention the following: less travel time,

could go straight to school in one mode, did not pollute the environment, safe and

comfortable, could go anywhere, and all kinds of people can use rickshaws (including

children and the elderly, who have trouble traveling by bus).

In terms of the issue of rickshaw plying, girls expressed support for rickshawscontinuing, as they are cheaper than CNG, more convenient and safer than buses, and

service people for whom buses are inadequate (including the elderly and the sick). Girls

also express fear that former NMT pullers will engage in crime and violence.


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2. Female college and university students from Eden College

In addition to many of the same comments as the girls above, college girls mention Bus

helpers sometimes tend to touch female passengers, if you protest they would tease

you saying why dont we buy private cars.

3. Mothers accompanying school childrenRickshaws were safe and convenient while buses involve hassle and disturbance by male

passengers; they could do kunchabazaar shopping on the way home by rickshaw, but not

by bus; rickshaws used to be cheaper for the entire trip, whereas now it costs more.

Mothers are of the opinion that they did not face any problem when rickshaws used to

ply on the corridor. They tend to generally oppose rickshaw withdrawal.

4. Female shoppers

Many still travel by rickshaw, but now must pay more and take more time. They say

that buses are inappropriate for shopping, as it is hard enough to board a bus in any

case, much less while carrying bags. Female shoppers, both kunchamarket shoppersand other shoppers have generally been found to be against rickshaw withdrawal. Their

views and problems of having and withdrawing rickshaws are very much the same as

[other females interviewed]. The main advantage of rickshaw appears to be its easy

availability, flexibility, and no necessity to wait for one or change transport before the

end of the trip. on balance the FGD participants appear to oppose rickshaw

withdrawal.

020406080

100120140

taka

mother

student

garment

shopshopper

others.

office

res.total

Figure 3. Daily household travel costs

before

after

(Note on Figure 3 and Figure 4: mother refers to mothers taking children to school,student to college/university-going female students, garment to garment workers,shop to kuncha market shopkeepers and marketers, shopper to kuncha market shoppers,other s. to other shoppers, office to office goers, and res. to local residents.)


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0

200400

600

800

1000

taka

mother

student

garment

shopshopper

others.

office

res.total

Figure 4. Monthly travel costs to usual destination

before

after

Popularity of BanThe HDRC study finds that 54% of people support the rickshaw ban. It is helpful to

remember that the total survey size was only about 780 people, so that the margin oferror could easily erase the difference between support and opposition. Accordingto an inside source, those conducting the survey over-sampled those of high income,who are most likely either to own, or to plan to purchase, a private car and thus to beagainst rickshaws. It can also be difficult for people to express a view that they feelis contrary to the desire of the government, especially when those doing the surveyare commissioned by a government agency.

In any case, 54% is hardly an overwhelming majority, and it must be realized thatopposition to rickshaws has been deliberately created through a years-long mediacampaign blaming Dhakas traffic problems on the rickshaw. The report does not

state how many of those favoring the ban were women; given the focus groupresults, it seems likely that most women are against the ban, and are sufferinggreatly from it.

We also wonder whether similar polls have been taken to assess peoples supportfor, for instance, enforcing bans on car parking on major roads including MirpurRoad. The comments from the focus groups make it clear that the opposition to theban is extremely strong, with people (particularly females) suffering tremendousproblems as well as loss of time and money due to the rickshaw ban.


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Office Goers

Bus is so inadequate that it is almost impossible to catch one. Passengers have to

travel hanging on the door handles. Too much pushing is involved getting on board abus. Even if male passengers can somehow get onboard, female passengers cannot do

this.

Walking can be faster than taking buses, but not everyone is sufficiently fit to walk.

It used to cost Tk15 to Tk20 to reach office before. Now it costs Tk50 to Tk60 as

buses are not adequate. CNG or taxicabs are expensive. Not everyone can afford to

use a taxicab or CNG.

Hassle of traveling by bus includes uncertain wait time, long queues, lack of seats,

waiting in sun and rain, and traveling standing with the risk of being pick pocketed.There is simply a battle to get onboard a bus through the rush of passengers. For

women this simply gets impossible at times. Women suffer from the rush and teasing;

from lack of safety, privacy, and comfort; and from the danger of trying to board a

moving bus.

Advantages of rickshaws included time saving (since the time was known, it could be

planned, whereas with buses additional time must be allowed for); cost savings (because

rickshaw and bus fares are combined for one trip, and sometimes CNG or taxicab is

needed); ease of trip planning; and safety, comfort, and privacy.

Recommendations of HDRC1. Some substantive steps should be taken before or vis--vis NMT withdrawal

from other arterial roads. Such steps might include one or more of thefollowing:

(a) NMT pullers should be rehabilitated by means of granting smallloans or by the provision of training of some sorts.

(b) They may be allowed a choice of giving up NMT pulling and acceptto undertake other occupation or vocation in exchange for thetraining for the alternative occupation.

2. The transportation needs of huge numbers of passengersexisting andpotentially increasingmust be met vis--vis any further NMT withdrawal.NMT withdrawal has caused enormous difficulty, hardship, andinconvenience to millions of NMT and MT users along the corridor. Noalternative has been arranged to fill in the transport vacuum caused by thewithdrawal. Therefore, the following actions need to be taken without delay:

(a) Increase the supply of public transport;(b) Increase the supply of CNG driven baby taxis;


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(c) Increase the number of taxicabs;(d) Increase the number of buses(e) Improve passenger sheds and ticket terminals for bus passengers(f) increase transport supply e.g. buses during morning and

evening peak hours to alleviate the acute transport shortage facingschool, college, university, and office going passengers;

(g) Tough measures must be taken to strictly enforce traffic laws;(h) Harsh penalties must be imposed for violation of traffic laws like

dropping off and picking up passengers at and from the middle ofthe road, allowing passenger movement (drop off and pick up)anywhere except at designated bus stops, etc.

(i) Private transport companies could be negotiated to introduce schoolbuses at mornings and afternoons to exclusively cater for schoolboys and girls

Comment on HDRC Recommendations

To our knowledge, none of the recommendations have been adequately carried outon any section of Mirpur Road. The increase in buses was a purely temporarymeasure, and was very limited as the ban occurred during a period of holidays. Nolong-term increase in transport has been created for Mirpur Road, and the manyproblems of buses (waiting in sun and rain, long queues, uncertain waiting timerequiring additional travel time to ensure arriving on time, hassling by malepassengers, fighting for seats, men taking the womens seats, lack of comfort andsafety) are unlikely to be solved in the near future.

Increasing the number of CNG baby taxis and car taxis is not a solution given theirhigh fares, refusal to take passengers for short trips, and insistence on passengers

paying more than the metered fare. Traffic laws continue to be unenforced,including parking on Mirpur Road. Measures for the rehabilitation of the NMTpullers have been long delayed, and it is unclear how the program will beimplemented and how many NMT pullers will benefit.


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In terms of the highly-publicized plan to help rickshaw pullers, may we point outthat the 27 crore taka planned for their rehabilitation would be better spent creatingseparate lanes for different types of vehicles on the streets, rather than by forcingpeople out of their jobs, then trying to train them for new ones. Although we find itupsetting that rickshaw wallahs and their families are suffering from increasedpoverty, the solution is to maintain this critical, popular and pollution-free source oftransport, making rehabilitation programs unnecessary.

NMT Ban: Success or Failure?The NMT ban from Gabtoli to Russell Square was meant to be an experiment, theresults of which would determine whether it would be extended. From HDRCs andour analysis, the experiment was in fact a failure and should not have beencontinued. Even the World Bank, which initially pushed the ban, later admitted thatthe ban had not been implemented properly.*

On 30 December, we received an e-mail from Guang Z. Chen, Sector Manager,Transport, South Asia Region of The World Bank. In his e-mail, he stated that anumber of key measures should be completed or in place before conversion of thenext sections of arterial corridor to NMT-free operations. In our view, these keymeasures include: The provision of alternative/ complementary NMT routes fornetwork continuity or for access to specific destinations (eg hospitals, markets,schools, etc), ... the provision of additional bus services, and effective enforcement ofparking prohibitions along these corridors - to ensure that road capacity freed up asa result of the conversion leads to substantially improved public transport servicesalong the corridor. ...

We have advised the Government of Bangladesh and DTCB repeatedly andrequested them to ensure that the above measures are implemented/in placeBEFORE the conversion of the next sections of arterial road to NMT-free operations,so that the proposed action aimed at improving traffic conditions and circulation inDhaka causes minimal severance of NMT networks and adequately mitigatesadverse impacts on livelihood.

Where are the alternative/complementary NMT routes? Where the additional busservices? Where the provision of parking along the corridors? How then can theban be extended? And yet it was.

What is the World Banks policy on non-motorized transport?The World Banks policy on non-motorized transport (NMT) is made clear in variousof their documents, which are available on the Web. Quotes from their documentsreveal that they understand the importance of NMT, despite their attempts to reduceits use in Dhaka. The World Bank openly admits that NMT is important to the poorand others:

* For more information on the World Banks new attitude towards rickshaw bans, please see Appendix 4.


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Transport interventions that promote the use of NMT usually contribute directly tothe welfare of those people who cannot afford motorized transport. NMT is, manytimes, also the most appropriate and efficient form of transport.3

Despite its economic importance to the poorboth as a mode of transport and asource of incomeand its environmental advantages, the potential of non-motorizedtransport is often unmobilized or even actively suppressed. A combination ofinfrastructure investment, traffic management and financial measures can makenonmotorized transport safer and more attractive, to the benefit not only of the verypoor, who are economically captive to nonmotorized transport, but also of the lesspoor.4

The World Bank is also well aware that increases in motorized transport often causea decrease in NMT, which thus decreases air quality and the mobility of the poor:Motorized transport development and safety concerns often reduce existing NMTusage.5

The World Bank is aware that it requires little money to improve NMT, which inturn will be heavily used by the poor (let us not forget that cycling is far moreaffordable to the poor than buses): Low capital investment requirements make bikeand pedestrian transport accessible to low income groups.6

Interesting, the World Bank also acknowledges the very problem caused by negativepropaganda in this country: NMT has a negative image in many countries.7

Ban on NMT on Mirpur Road from Russell Square to AzimpurWhat then has been the consequence of extending the rickshaw ban on Mirpur Road,

to include Russell Square to Azimpur, as happened on 17 December 2004?

3 The World Bank Group, Poverty Reduction and Social Assessments.

(www.worldbank.org/transport/roads/pov&sa.htm)4 The World Bank, Cities on the Move, A World Bank Urban Transport Strategy Review. Washington, D.C.

2002.5

Transport and Climate Change: Priorities for World Bank-GEF Projects 2004.6

Ibid.7 Ibid.


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Observation of traffic conditions make several points clear:

There are still serious traffic jams on the corridor.

Nearby roads are now suffering worse traffic jams, including the section ofNew Elephant Road from which rickshaws are now also banned.

Mirpur Road continues to be used for car parking, thus taking one or two

lanes out of service at any given time. One lane, used for parking in front ofNew Market, is otherwise empty (other than a few pedestrians), and couldeasily be used to extend the rickshaw lane and add a bicycle lane.

The so-called NMT corridor is only truly such on the Mirpur Road section.Once they enter New Market, the rickshaws must compete with private cars,and the road itself is in terrible condition, making travel difficult. Surely themeaning of NMT corridor is NMT only? Why then are private cars stillallowed to ply on that road, despite now having access to all of Mirpur Road?

Those who continue to travel by rickshaw are suffering much hardship,including increased fares and travel time. The rickshaw lane is now blockedup for long distances, as there is only space for one rickshaw traveling in each

direction, and the rickshaws must take an extensive detour through NewMarket itself. While we do not have estimates of the increased time or farerequired for travelers, we have heard people complain of not being able toaccess previous destinations, of costs increasing by up to 200% (from 15 to 30taka to travel from Azimpur to Dhanmondi), and of trips taking twice as longas previously. One woman commented that it is now easier to travel duringhartals than on other days.

The increase in bus service would appear to be inadequate, judging from longlines. This includes New Elephant Road, given the reduction of rickshaws onthat road as well.

Women are likely to be suffering greater hardship than men, as they are

unable to compete for limited spaces on the buses, or to travel crowded inwith other men when no seats are available. Women-only buses do notoperate on these routes.

As mentioned elsewhere, the promised rehabilitation of the NMT pullers hasbeen greatly delayed, and is unclear how it will operate. This is a seriousissue, given that it was the main recommendation of the HDRC report andwas stated by the World Bank as a condition for banning rickshaws (not tomention the inhumanity of idly watching as the pullers and their families areforced to go hungry for the questionable convenience of some passengers onMirpur Road).

There appears to be no attempt to assist the former footpath vendors who

have been evicted, or to help those who are able to remain but whoselivelihood is diminishing due to the lack of rickshaw traffic, as has beenshown to have happened in the Gabtoli-Russell Square corridor, wherehawkers income declined by half (from 200 to 100 taka a day) andshopkeepers from 325 to 250 taka daily.


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Also entirely missing from the debate is the issue of how increasing the proportionof travel to occur by motorized vehicles will increase our air and noise pollution.Noise pollution is already far above accepted levels, and the main cause of it is carhonking. While air pollution has been blamed on non-polluting rickshaws (forcontributing to congestion), congestion has by no means disappeared from the manyroads on which rickshaws are banned, while every single motorized vehicle, be itnew or old, running on CNG or diesel or petrol, contributes to air pollution not onlywhile sitting in traffic, but also while moving.

There is a simple solution to the problem of both air and noise pollution, whichwould also reduce travel costs, improve mobility, and provide jobs for the poor.This is rather than banning NMT, to provide separate NMT lanes on all major roads.Given the width of many roads, including Mirpur Road, it is entirely practical tohave separate bicycle, rickshaw, and bus lanes, with all other MT being given aseparate lane. After all, bicycles and rickshaw lanes can be much narrower than MTlanes.

Finally, one issue remains to be mentioned. Priority is being given to expensive roadbuilding, particularly flyovers, while little investment is occurring in public transit.The Moakhali flyover is now widely acknowledged to be a disaster; it has donenothing to improve traffic, and in fact traffic congestion has worsened since itscompletion. New flyovers and an elevated expressway (the latter funded, ironically,by a Thai bank) are now being planned. Bangkok is famous for its horrific trafficjams; why would Dhaka seek solutions to its traffic problems from Bangkok, andinstitute the methods that have proved so useless in Bangkok? In major citiesthroughout the world, the experience of endless road building has proved acomplete failure, as the roads simply attract more cars, and thus more congestion.

No city has ever solved its traffic problems through building more roads.

The supply of oil throughout the world is declining and the price rising; our supplyof natural gas is also limited. Why invest in infrastructure that will quickly becomeobsolete, as people are forced over the next twenty or thirty years to seek alternativesto motorized transport? Why not make plans in anticipation of the event, as well asin recognition of motorized vehicles contribution to the destruction of the ozonelayer?

The problems of traffic in Dhaka are not insurmountable. However, decisions mustbe taken not based on potential profit for those building roads, or the benefit of the

minority car owners, but rather on issues of mobility, low-cost transport, anddecreased pollution. We hope that future decisions will be aimed at benefiting themajority and improving our environment, and will recognize the benefits toeveryone of creating good conditions for walking, biking, rickshaws and publictransport.


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Do rickshaws take up too much space?Authorities claim that rickshaws take up a greater percentage of space than theproportion of passengers they transport. This may well have been the case in 1993,when there were few other vehicles on the road. However, by 1998, the situationhad reversed, with 54% of vehicular trips being made by rickshaw, but rickshawstaking only 38% of road space. In contrast, in 1998 cars occupied over 34% of roadspace, but only accounted for 9% of vehicular trips. It is thus clear that cars, notrickshaws, are wasteful of road space.

Do rickshaws move slowly?Speed is relative. While the maximum speed of motorized vehicles is much greaterthan of non-motorized, in typical crowded urban conditions, there may be littledifference. Dhaka is typical in having a lot of people trying to travel in limitedspace; cities around the world suffer from this problem, and have been unable torelieve congestion despite their lack of non-motorized transport or their expensiveand extensive road-building programs.

In central London, cars travel at about 8 mph, the same speed as horse carriages in1880, and more slowly than bicycles and even sometimes pedestrians.8 Bicycles caneasily go 15 km/hr and faster. Many streets in Dhakaincluding those that havelong ago banned non-motorized transport, such as Shabagh-Bangla Motor-Farmgate-Moakhaliare regularly congested, with vehicles sitting for long periods. Total triptime even for fairly long distances may thus be similar for rickshaws/bicycles andfor motorized vehicles. When there are no non-motorized vehicles on the roads,they cannot be blamed for the slowness of other vehicles. What we can see is thatthere is not necessarily any speed benefit in motorized transport.

Is it possible to improve traffic by building more roads?International experience suggests that reality is counter-intuitive. While we wouldassume that more roads would relieve congestion, the opposite in fact is true. Whenwe build more roads, people simply travel greater distances, and traffic jams returnto their previous situation. On the contrary, when roads are narrowed, peoplecancel many unnecessary trips, and traffic can actually lighten. Banning non-motorized vehicles and building roads has been a complete disaster for suchcrowded cities as Jakarta, Bangkok, and Los Angeles, which have spent hugeamounts of money for roads, banned non-motorized vehicles, and have the worsttraffic jams in the world. Cities that have been successful in reducing traffic includeSingapore and Hong Kong, which have greatly limited purchases of private cars,

and invested most of their transport funds in public transit, not roads.

Has the rickshaw ban on Mirpur Road been successful?Authorities cite an increase in speed on Mirpur Road from Gabtoli to Kola Baganfrom 15 to 24 km/hr. They also claim there are now fewer accidents. In terms ofaccidents, the question is whether it is only the incidence that has declined, or alsothe severity. When vehicles move more quickly, people are more likely to be

8 Richard Rogers and Anne Power, Cities for a small country. London: Faber and Faber Ltd., 2000.


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seriously injured in accidents. Slow-moving vehicles may have frequent minoraccidents in which people are not injured; this is surely a preferable situation tomore rare but more serious accidents that maim and kill.

According to the Accident Research Center (ARC) at BUET, pedestrians are the mostvulnerable road users in Bangladesh. Up to 52% of road accident deaths arepedestrians. Not rickshaws but buses and trucks are involved in pedestrianfatalities. In fact, the most dangerous area in Dhaka for pedestrians is the Airportroad, which is NMT free.

In terms of speed, this assertion raises various questions. While the speed ofindividual vehicles has increased, has the numberof people traveling each hour onthe road increased? It is likely that the vehicles are moving faster, but the number ofpeople traveling has declined, in which case it is not a benefit for the majority. Afterall, cars require 5 times more space, an auto-rickshaw 4 times, and a motorcycleabout twice that per passenger as a rickshaw; thus the overall passenger carrying

capacity on the road is likely to be less than before rickshaws were banned. (Spacerequirements take into account headwaythe amount of space needed betweenmoving vehicles, which increases as speed increases.)

Speed of travel on one section of road is also not a complete measure. Trip timeneeds to be studiedthe entire trip time, including that section of the road. For carpassengers, this includes looking at the amount of time spent in jams in other partsof Dhakasuch as those adjoining Mirpur Road which have banned non-motorizedtransport, but are still heavily congested. For bus passengers, this involves lookingat the time from ones starting point to ones destination. The time spent on the roadis only a portion of actual travel time. For those who previously traveled by

rickshaw for their entire trip but now must go by bus, including getting to and fromthe bus stops and waiting for the bus, the trip time may well have lengthenedconsiderably.

What about pollution?The World Bank recently congratulated the government on the improvement in airpollution in Dhaka following the successful ban on two-stroke baby taxis. Pollutantshave apparently declined by an impressive 40%. What the World Bank apparentlydid not see fit to mention is that all large cities in the world that are heavily-dependent on motorized transport suffer from great problems from air pollution.The reason that Dhakas air quality is now fairly good is not only because of the

much-needed ban on two-stroke baby taxis and the introduction of unleaded fuel,but also because so much of transport occurs by non-motorized, and hence non-polluting, means. In 1998, 63% of total trips were made by foot; of those made by avehicle, 54% were by rickshaw. Although we do not have more current data, it isclear that most trips are still made by foot and rickshaw.

The movement of motorized transport involves air pollution, whether the roads areclear or they are not. There is no such thing as a completely non-polluting


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motorized vehicles. The more motorized vehicles there are on the road, the morepollution exists, regardless of emissions controls, good traffic regulations, and thelack of non-motorized vehicles on the road. Thus the United States is the greatestcontributor of carbon monoxide in the world, thanks to their heavy dependence oncars and despite their strict regulations to decrease auto emissions. All trips madeby non-motorized transport (walking, cycling, rickshaw, etc.) are non-polluting ones.As people move from non-polluting to polluting transport, air pollution willnecessarily increase, and everyone (but particularly the poor, who live in the mostpolluted areas) will suffer.

Did the ban help the poor?The World Bank claims that the ban will help the poor, as they will have more accessto bus service. In fact, buses are not particularly inexpensive. Data suggests that thepoorest spend a higher percent of their income on transport than the rich16.5% permonth, while the rich spend 8.2% (not including purchase of cars). Since we are toldthat the poor do not travel by rickshaw, this money must be going for bus fares.

Would it not be far cheaper for the poor to travel not by rickshaw, not by bus, but bybicycle and foot? The one-time expense of a bicycle purchase is a burden on thepoor, but the purchase quickly pays itself off, as people can travel by bicycle foryears, saving themselves ongoing transport expenses. It is no coincidence that manyof the poor in Dhaka currently use bicycles, including guards. An increase in safetyconditions for cycling would be great benefit to the poor; where is this in the plan toimprove transport?

The Cheapest Way to Go

Mamun (not his real name) works repairing air conditioners at a small shop in Shangkor.

His house is in Kawla, across from the airport. He travels the roughly 15 kilometerstwice a day by bicycle, on a bicycle he purchased eight years ago.

How much money has he saved over the years on bus fares?

It is also helpful to remember that rickshaw pullers are part of the poor. Theestimated five million people in the country dependent on rickshaw pullers incometo survive9 are among the most vulnerable people; there are entire villages whichfunction based on the money sent home by rickshaw pullers. Are the women andchildren dependent on their rickshaw-pulling husbands not the poor? What aboutthose who repair rickshaws, and who sell food to the pullers? Are they not alsopoor? How will they benefit when they lose their jobs?

What alternatives exist to improve traffic and maintain non-motorized vehicles?Are other options available that have not been sufficiently considered? Is it possibleto plan roads such that non-motorized and motorized transport can share the spacebut not interfere with each others movement?

9 Rob Gallagher, The Rickshaws of Bangladesh. Dhaka: The University Press Limited, 1992.


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Some very simple, inexpensive measures could be taken that would increase traffic,keep air pollution low, allow mobility for the vulnerable, and prevent income lossfrom the various groups otherwise likely to be affected. It could speed themovement of buses and other motorized transport, while allowing rickshaws tocontinue, and increase the use of the underutilized alternative, bicycles, which are afavored means for the poor.

This would involve a few simple steps:

* Improve pedestrian facilities on Mirpur Road, particularly from Science Laboratoryto Azimpur. It is more important to prevent the illegal parking of motorizedvehicles on the street than to displace vendors, as the existence of vendors does notentirely block the footpaths, but does attract pedestrians; parked cars make itcompletely impossible to pass, and are a deterrent, rather than an attraction, topedestrians.

* Create flexible barriers to separate the traffic: two lanes for rickshaws immediatelyadjoining the footpath (allowing rickshaws to pick up and drop off passengers, whowill frequent the shops along the road) would require 12 feet of road space; a bicyclelane next to that would require 5 feet; two lanes for motorized vehicles would takeup 28 feet. With a 5-foot median in the middle, this requires 95 feet, whereas theroad width is 110 feet. One of the motorized lanes would be for buses only, whilebuses could enter the other. Temporary barriers could be erected to separate thebicycle and rickshaw lanes from each other, and the bus lane from the bicycle lane,as well as to prevent illegal car parking or entry of cars into the non-motorized lanes.No barrier would be needed to preserve the bus lane, as long as traffic police aresufficiently informed of their responsibilities and act to enforce the separation of

buses from other motorized traffic. This would allow for changes in the size of thelanes to suit different demand levels at different times of day or different seasons; ifnecessary, after sufficient study of demand, the lane widths could be changed andpermanent barriers created if needed.

This would allow buses to travel in a straight line (medians for passengers to boardbuses would be built at regular intervals, between the bus and bicycle lane), thusreducing accidents. Buses could still enter the other motorized lane if need be.Other motorized vehicles would also travel in a straight line, with the reduction inlane changes likely to reduce both accidents and traffic jams. Everyone wouldbenefit: motorized vehicles would move more swiftly as they did not have to

compete with slower vehicles; buses would gain the needed priority that wasintended to be created in a World Bank plan for Dhaka of 1997, and has beenmentioned again by the World Bank as a pressing need; and non-motorizedtransport could continue, without causing problems to other vehicles.


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Suggestions for Improving Transport in Dhaka

1. Maintain the use of rickshaws by a) canceling all planned bans on rickshawsfrom different roads; b) creating rickshaw-only lanes on major streets(including those that currently ban rickshaws), and c) considering a gradualshift to improved rickshaws that are easier to maneuver and morecomfortable for passengers. If the rickshaw licensing system is to bemaintained, set a higher level for the number of rickshaws, and base it onresearch into which all citizens can have input.

2. Cancel all plans for future flyovers, and use transportation budgets toimprove public transit and conditions for NMT.

3. Make cars less affordable and available through reducing import of cars,raising registration fees and taxes, and restricting licenses.4. Ban cars from small streets and lanes and from congested areas, and greatly

reduce parking. Enforce a ban on parking on footpaths and on major streets.5. Make cycling more safe and attractive by providing separate bicycle lanes on

all major roads (creating a continuous cycle lane throughout the city) and bygiving bicycles priority at traffic signals so they arent in danger by motorizedvehicles.

6. Make cycling more affordable by greatly reducing the tariff on importedbicycles.

7. Create more places to park bicycles.

8. Increase bus use by creating special lanes for buses on major streets, banningall motorized vehicles except buses and emergency vehicles in congestedareas, and considering other benefits to buses.

9. Ensure conducive environment for walking by a) creating pedestrian-onlyzones in the central shopping and business districts, b) reducing motorizedtransport (pedestrians will naturally walk farther when the streets arequieter), c) cleaning up footpaths from construction debris and car parking(vendors actually attract pedestrians, and should be allowed to stay, though


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not to block entire footpaths), and d) making footpaths more comfortable byplanting more trees along them.

10.Carry out public education campaigns through the mass media and othermeans (e.g. through leaflets given to school children) to encourage parents towalk or cycle rather than drive their children to school, and to consider moreenvironmentally-friendly and social means of transport, e.g. public transit andwalking/cycling rather than cars/auto-rickshaws.

11.Support community programs to convert underutilized streets into childrensplaygrounds for a couple hours each day, thereby making better use of roadsin quieter neighbourhoods, and allowing children play space, as is currentlyhappening in various areas as a citizen initiative.

ConclusionWe believe that roads should be for people, not just for cars. Since a small minorityof passengers in Dhaka travel by car, they should be taken into account, but notallowed to usurp most road space. Conditions must be maintained that allow for the

non-car-owning majority to travel. Transport solutions also must take into accountmore than simply the movement of traffic: while reducing traffic jams, they mustalso improve air quality, reduce noise pollution, maintain mobility for thevulnerable, and avoid causing economic disaster. A solution to the traffic jams onMirpur Road is possible, that would benefit all stakeholders and harm none. Wesimply request that the ban on rickshaws be overturned and more positive solutionsbe implemented, which allow for non-motorized transport to continue to movepeople conveniently, cheaply, and with no adverse effects on the environment oreconomy.


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Sources:Rob Gallagher, The Rickshaws of Bangladesh. Dhaka: The University PressLimited, 1992.

Human Development Research Centre (HDRC),After Study on the Impact of MirpurDemonstration Corridor Project (Gabtoli-Russel Square). Prepared for Dhaka TransportCoordination Board (DTCB), August 2004.

Nasrin Khandoker and Jonathan Rouse, Urban Developments and Livelihood ofthe Poor in Dhaka. Paper presented at 30th WEDC International Conference,Vientiane, Lao PDR, 2004.

Richard Rogers and Anne Power, Cities for a small country. London: Faber andFaber Ltd., 2000.

The World Bank Group, Poverty Reduction and Social Assessments.

(www.worldbank.org/transport/roads/pov&sa.htm)

The World Bank, Cities on the Move, A World Bank Urban Transport Strategy Review .Washington, D.C. 2002.

Transport and Climate Change: Priorities for World Bank-GEF Projects 2004.

* * *Thanks to all those who have contributed ideas by e-mail on this subject, including:

Karl Fjellstrom, China and Bangladesh Director, Institute for Transportation andDevelopment Policy (ITDP)

Walter Hook, Ph.D., Executive Director, Institute for Transportation andDevelopment Policy (ITDP)

Lloyd Wright, PhD. (candidate), MPhil, MSc, MBA, BSc, Transport Planner,University College London


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Appendix 1: Proposed rickshaw bans with target implementation dates (up todate information not available)

Sl.No.

Name of the corridor NMT Phase outtime (Target time)

1. Mirpur Road (Kalabagan-Azimpur) 31-8-2004*

2.New Elephant Road/Bhasani Road (Science Lab-Shahabagh-

Matshabhaban- Press Club-College Road)31-8-2004

**

3. Rokeya Saroni (Mirpur 10-Taltala-Agaraon-Farmgate) 31-5-2005

4.New Eskaton Road/Circular Road

(Bangla Motor-Moghbazar-Mouchak-Malibagh-Rajarbagh)31-7-2005

5. Technical (Technical-Mirpur 1-Mirpur 2-Kachukhet-Banani) 30-9-2005

6.

Progati Sharani DIT Road

(Kuril-Baridhara-Badda-Rampura-Malibagh-Mouchak) 30-11-2005

7.Zohir Raihan Sharani/Hatkhola Road

(Azimpur-Fulbari-Takatali-Saidabad)30-12-2005

8.North-South Road/English Road

(Malibagh-Kakrail-Purana Palton-Zero Point-Fulbaria)31-7-2006

*The ban has been repeatedly postponed and was implemented on 17 December 2004.

** The ban has been postponed, and was scheduled to be implemented in February 2005.


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Appendix 2: Existing and Proposed Rickshaw-Free Corridors in Dhaka (somerickshaw-free roads may not be included)


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Appendix 3: Changes in travel patterns for different groups (from HDRC report)

1. As a result of the rickshaw ban, the percentage of mothers taking theirchildren to school by rickshaw or rickshaw van fell from 70% to 31.9%.Walking increased from 11.6% to 21.0%, and bus use from 1.4% to 27.5%. Useof baby taxi/CNG, taxi cab, and private car also increased for the mothers.

2. For college/university-going females, travel by rickshaw declined from 75.4%to 36.8%, and by bus increased from 15.8% to 40.4%.

3. Garment workers continue to use walking as their main form oftransportation to work, though with an increase from 66.3% to 84.6%; travelby rickshaw/van fell for garment workers from 24.0% to 2.9%, and travel bybus rose only slightly, from 8.7% to 11.5%. For this segment of the poor, it isclear that the rickshaw ban has likely increased rather than decreased traveltime.

4. The predominant mode of transport to work shifted mainly fromrickshaw/van to walking across sectors. The decline of those relying mostlyon rickshaw/van overall was 45.1% to 16.8%; walking increased from 21.4%to 33.9%, and bus use from 22.7% to 32.0%. Use of baby taxi/CNG also rosesignificantly, from 2.7% to 7.6%.

5. The predominant mode of transport for kuncha bazaar shopping followed asimilar pattern: the percentage traveling by rickshaw/van fell from 61.4% to40.9%, walking increased from 32.3% to 44.4%, bus use rose only very slightlyfrom 1.3% to 2.9%, and use of baby taxi/CNG rose from 1.9% to 8.8%. It isuseful in this context to remember that CNG-powered vehicles are not non-polluting; while an improvement over petrol-powered vehicles, they emitcarbon monoxide and benzene. Benzene is a cancer-causing chemical for

which no safe level of exposure exists. Only non-motorized transport iscompletely non-polluting.6. Similar changes occurred in travel for other shopping and to visit friends and

relatives. Overall, while rickshaws had been the predominant mode oftransport, other forms have increased while rickshaw/van use has declined.Among others, private car use has also increased, though only slightly due tothe tremendous expense of purchasing a car.


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Appendix 4: Correspondence with World Bank; Newspaper articles on the topic

Subject: Emails on Dhaka Rickshaw "Ban" - Mirpur Road

To: "Walter Hook" , [email protected], [email protected],[email protected], [email protected], [email protected],

[email protected], [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 17:20:05 -0500

Dr. Walter Hook

Executive Director

ITDP

Dear Dr. Hook, et al,

...

Following our teleconference on December 2 on the subject matter, we have

received hundreds of e-mails in the last few days raising similar concerns

regarding the proposed rickshaw ban on Mirpur Road in Dhaka by the

City Government and our role in it....

Best Regards,

Guang Z. ChenSector Manager, Transport

South Asia Region

The World Bank, Washington DC 20433


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30 December 2004

Subject: Re: rehabilitation of the displaced pullers

To: WBB Trust

Cc: [email protected], "Walter Hook"

Greetings.

Based on our own assessment of the Phase I NMT conversion experience, our team's

knowledge of the project site, and the study carried out for DTCB by HDRC, we have come

to a conclusion, before your organizations raised these concerns to us on the subject matter,

that a number of key measures should be completed or in place before conversion of the next

sections of arterial corridor to NMT-free operations.

In our view, these key measures include: (i) adequate consultations with key stakeholders and

affectees. (ii) The provision of alternative/ complementary NMT routes for network

continuity or for access to specific destinations (eg hospitals, markets, schools, etc),

signalized crossing points of the NMT-free corridors to provide linkages between adjacent

areas where NMT operate, and designated parking/waiting areas at the boundaries of theNMT-free areas. (iii) Implementation of a package of remedial and support measures (safety

net) for disadvantaged and displaced rickshaw pullers and owners, whose livelihood is

adversely affected. (iv) The provision of additional bus services, and effective enforcement of

parking prohibitions along these corridors - to ensure that road capacity freed up as a result of

the conversion leads to substantially improved public transport services along the corridor.

(v) A communications campaign to effectively disseminate this holistic approach to the

general public.

We have advised the Government of Bangladesh and DTCB repeatedly and requested them

to ensure that the above measures are implemented/in place BEFORE the conversion of the

next sections of arterial road to NMT-free operations, so that the proposed action aimed at

improving traffic conditions and circulation in Dhaka causes minimal severance of NMT

networks and adequately mitigates adverse impacts on livelihood.

As mentioned in my previous note, the World Bank's role under the DUTP has been to

provide financing and technical assistance to help the government with the development,

refinement and implementation of appropriate strategies. But please understand that it is the

government which has the authority to implement these recommended measures. We

recently learned that a package of remedial and support measures for the displaced rickshaw

pullers had been devised by the DUTP project authority but it has been pending with the

higher government authority for approval. We have been following up with the government

authorities on the matter and are awaiting their response. If your organization shares our

view on the need to implement those mitigating measures, instead of trying to convince usthat such measures are necessary (which we fully agree), I would suggest that you put your

effort in lobbying the government authorities to quickly finalize and implement the mitigation

measures that have been developed. To learn more about this, you could contact DTCB.

Best regards,

Guang Chen


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No aid if rickshaw pullers not protectedWorld Bank asks govt to implement safety net for makingroads off-limits to rickshawsZAHEDUL ISLAM

The World Bank has asked the government to take immediatesteps to safeguard the transport users and providers, affectedby closing the city roads to non-motorised transport, and

otherwise threatened discontinuation of its assistance in any suchproject in the future.Any future support from the World Bank would be

possible only if it can be demonstrated that aggregatepositive impacts of NMT-free conversion on transport usersand transport providers outweigh the aggregate negative

impact,the banks country director, Christine I Wallich, said in aletter to the Dhaka Transport Coordination Board sent on February2.

The bank would not support the continued conversions that do

not conform to the above principles, and any support would becontingent on the government carrying out mitigation measures toreduce the negative impacts, and alleviate public concern.

She also recommended implementation of a safety net, tocompensate for the loss in livelihood, comprising elements such asasset transfer, micro-credit and enterprise training support and

skill development, micro-enterprise and job placement support foraffected transport users.

Issuance of additional route permits to private sector operatorsfor provision of modern large buses, designated sections for

women passengers, rationalisation of some bus routes, parkingrestrictions and bus-prioritisation measures, bus-stops withshelters for pedestrians, keeping the sidewalks free fromencroachments and making some routes adjoining the convertedroads non-motorised vehicles use only were among the

recommendations she mentioned in the letter.We urge that such measures be completed as soon as possible

to mitigate the impact on affected transport users and providers,

read the letter which also stressed that the conversion policy andits implementation be closely monitored, fine tuned andperiodically reassessed to ensure its effectiveness for transport

users and providers.Wallich also expressed concern for not taking adequate


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safeguard or mitigation measures for the transport users and

affected transport providers after converting the Mirpur Road,stretching from the Russell Square to Azimpur, to NMT-free operations in December 2004.No safety net has yet been made to mitigate the loss of the

rickshaw pullers and owners though the bank had requested, and

the government agreed, to implement necessary safeguards priorto any further conversion, since significant adverse impacts weredocumented in the Impact Assessment Report of the Mirpur

demonstration corridor.She said conversion of the demonstration corridor had resulted

in a 10 per cent increase in transport costs for users and

significantly increased passenger w aiting times for publictransport, particularly during the peak hours.

Absence of alternative transport facilities for women, childrenand elderly passengers were also in evidence, she added.

According to the assessment report, the alternative transportarrangements are insufficient to effectively mitigate the adverseimpact of the rickshaw ban on the travelling people. Rickshaw

costs and travel time have also increased substantiallyfollowing the discontinuities in the rickshaw-accessible roadnetwork.

Conversion of these corridors to NMT-free operations was only

one part of an integral package of measures, designed to beundertaken together, to improve traffic on Dhakas arterialcorridors, Wallich said.

The package envisioned simultaneous development of a

complementary network of non-motorised vehicle routes inconsultation with the owners of such vehicles, substantialenhancement of public transports, effective enforcement of

parking prohibitions along these corridors and mitigation of anyadverse impacts on transport users or the non-motorisedtransport providers.

She urged the government to review the impact assessmentreports findings to address the specific adverse impacts describedfor displaced rickshaw pullers and owners.

As a first step in developing the strategy to overcome trafficgridlock and improve mobility for Dhakas travelling public, theDTCB in 2002 identified some 120 kilometres arterial roads for

phased conversion to NMT-free operations.The objective was to allow more efficient operation of motorised

traffic primarily public transport along those routes.Implementation of NMT-free operations began through the

conversion to the demonstration corridor along Mirpur Road(Gabtali-Russel Square-Sonargaon) in December 2002.


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WB sets deadline to lessenrickshaw pullers woesCity corporation authorities faced with touch choice

STAFF CORRESPONDENTThe Dhaka city authorities need to make some tough choices as

imposition of ban on non-motorised transport, especiallyrickshaws, plying the city roads benefit the rich people only, theWorld Bank observed.

Only the rich people gain benefit from ban on therickshaws,Guang Z Chen, a transport specialist of the WorldBank, told journalists Thursday.A strong authority is necessary for sustainable solutions to

traffic congestion, said Chen, describing the Dhaka TransportCoordination Board as a weak body.

The press briefing was organised as a follow-up of the World

Banks warning of discontinuation of its assistance in citytransportation projects unless the government takes steps tosafeguard the transport users and providers, affected by off-limiting the city roads to non-motorised transport.

The banks country director, Christine I Wallich, in a letter to theDhaka Transport Coordination Board on February 2 threatenedsuch a halt to its aid.

The operations adviser of the banks Dhaka office, DavidHughart, the senior transport engineer, Mohi Uz Zaman, and the

senior information officer, Subrata Shankar Dhar, were present atthe meeting with the journalists at a city hotel.Modern large buses, instead of luxury cars and three-wheeler

auto-rickshaws, should ply the city roads vacated by the non-

motorised transports, said Guang, sector manager (transport) forthe South Asia region of the bank.

We requested the government to ensure the measures tomitigate the sufferings caused by the ban to the transport users,

especially women and children, and rickshaw pullers, he said,adding that the steps should be taken by the end of March thisyear.

Issuance of additional route permits to private sector operatorsfor provision of modern large buses, designated sections forwomen passengers in buses, bus-stops with shelters forpedestrians, keeping the sidewalks free from encroachments and


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making some routes adjoining the converted roads non-motorised

vehicles use only were among the recommendations the bank putforward to the government as per the impact assessment report ofthe Mirpur demonstration corridor.

The World Bank-funded assessment was conducted by the

Human Development Research Centre under the leadership of

Professor Abul Barakat of the Dhaka University, Chen said further.Nine thousand rickshaw pullers have been affected by the ban

on nine kilometres roads in the city, he said quoting the

assessment report.Meanwhile, the DTCB converted nine kilometres road including

the Mirpur Road [Gabtali-Russel Square-Azimpur] and Pantha Path

[Russel Square to FDC crossing] to NMT-free corridor as a pilotmodel.

It aims to convert some 120 kilometres arterial roads to suchcorridors.

The rickshaw ban caused absence of alternative transportfacilitiesespecially for women, children and elderly passengers,10 per cent increase in transport costs for users and increase in

passengers wasting time for public transport.David Hughart said, The city authorities would have to make

some tough choices to make the city free from congestion.Traffic congestion has turned a severe problem due to

conversion of some residential areas like Dhanmondi, Gulshan,Banani and Uttara to commercial areas, he added.


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Rickshaw restrictions in Dhaka and the role of World Bank

(Press statement)

Events related to the implementation of rickshaw restrictions in Dhaka and the role of

the World Bank

Published on Saturday, February 12, 2005

Web Site: www.worldbank.org.bd

...

For Affected Transport Users: Proactive measures to improve disrupted transport services,

such as: (a) issuing sufficient additional route-permits along the corridor to private sector

operators for provision of modern large buses operating scheduled services - with designated

sections for women passengers; (b) some bus route rationalization to minimize the need for

multi-modal trips; (c) enforcement of parking restrictions and some bus-prioritization

measures; (d) provision of designated bus-stops with shelters for pedestrians; (e) keeping the

side-walks along these corridors free of encroachments for safe passage of pedestrians; (f)

designating some NMT routes adjoining the converted roads for NMT use only by

restricting motorized vehicle access; and (g) re-establishing NMT-network continuity

where this has been severed.

13. We have also indicated that it is very important that DUTP be fully compliant with Bank

safeguard policies if the government wishes to see continuing Bank engagement in the sectorin future.

TP Rickshaw Ban Result(1)

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