page_title: Dhaka
section_title: Road
hierarchical_section_title: Dhaka / Transport / Road
caption_attribution_description: Rickshaws on a street of Dhaka.
context_page_description: Dhaka, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and the largest city of Bangladesh. It is the ninth-largest, and the sixth-most densely populated city in the world, with a population of 8.9 million residents within the city limits, and a population of over 21 million residents in the Greater Dhaka Area. Dhaka is the economic, political and cultural center of Bangladesh. It is one of the major cities of South Asia, the largest city in Eastern South Asia and among the Bay of Bengal countries; and one of the largest cities among OIC countries. As part of the Bengal plain, the city is bounded by the Buriganga River, Turag River, Dhaleshwari River and Shitalakshya River. The city is located in an eponymous district and division.
  The area of Dhaka has been inhabited since the first millennium. The city rose to prominence in the 17th century as a provincial capital and commercial center of the Mughal Empire in South Asia. Dhaka was the capital of the proto-industrialised Mughal Bengal for 75 years. As the center of the muslin trade in Bengal, it was one of the most prosperous cities in the Indian subcontinent.
context_section_description: Dhaka is connected to the other parts of the country through highway and railway links. Five of the eight major national highways of Bangladesh start from the city: N1, N2, N3, N5 and N8. Dhaka is also directly connected to the two longest routes of the Asian Highway Network: AH1 and AH2, as well as to the AH41 route. Highway links to the Indian cities of Kolkata, Agartala, Guwahati and Shillong have been established by the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) and private bus companies which also run regular international bus services to those cities from Dhaka.
  An elevated expressway system is under construction. The Dhaka Elevated Expressway would run from Shahjalal International Airport-Kuril-Banani-Mohakhali-Tejgaon-Saatrasta-Moghbazar Rail Crossing-Khilgaon-Kamalapur-Golapbagh to Dhaka-Chittagong Highway at Kutubkhali Point. A longer second elevated expressway from Airport-Ashulia is undergoing feasibility studies. There are three inter-district bus terminals in Dhaka, which are located at the Mohakhali, Saidabad and Gabtoli areas of the city.
  Dhaka suffers some of the worst traffic congestion in the world. The city lacks an organized public transport system. Construction of MRT and a BRT may solve the problem. Cycle rickshaws and auto rickshaws are the main mode of transport within the metro area, with close to 400,000 rickshaws running each day: the highest number in any city in the world. However, only about 85,000 rickshaws are licensed by the city government. Relatively low-cost and non-polluting cycle rickshaws, nevertheless, cause traffic congestion and have been banned from many parts of the city. The government has overseen the replacement of two-stroke engine auto rickshaws with "green auto-rickshaws" locally called CNG auto-rickshaw or Baby-taxi, which run on compressed natural gas.
  Public buses are operated by the state-run Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) and by numerous private companies and operators. Ride-sharing services like Uber and Pathao as well as scooters and privately owned cars are popular modes of transportation. Limited numbers of taxis are available. It is planned to raise the total number of taxis to 18,000 gradually.
caption: Cycle rickshaws are the most popular mode of transport in Dhaka
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