The objective of this project will be to experiment with different technical options for urban air quality management, with the ultimate goal of reducing human exposure to vehicular air pollution in a cost-effective manner. A simple in-use vehicle testing program will be established and launched in cooperation with other departments to identify and control grossly polluting vehicles. The activities under this project focus primarily on Dhaka, with some components replicated in other cities. The design of the Dhaka Urban Transport Project takes into account the special needs of women who travel in Dhaka As a part of preparation, a series of seminars, national workshops, and studies on gender dimension in transport were undertaken. The project was prepared in close coordination with an NGO working on the welfare of women workers.
Women face multiple problems with the existing transport environment in Dhaka.
Restrictive attitudes towards women's mobility narrows their participation in employment, education, and society in general. Much of the available mass transport services provided by public and private buses are insecure, unreliable, congested, and unsafe. Furthermore, incidents of harassment by male passengers generally discourage many women from using public buses. Walking to work and non-motorized transport trips are major components of travel patterns specifically for women in Dhaka. Between 1981 and 1999, female labor force participation in Dhaka increased from 4 percent to nearly 18 percent.