Insights into the socio-economic impacts of traffic congestion in the port and industrial areas of Chittagong city, Bangladesh

Abstract

Traffic congestion is one of the major barriers to the economic development of developing economies, resulting in severe social and economic impacts. The severity of traffic congestion in port and industrial areas is more thought-provoking than destructive barriers. The purpose of this research is to better understand the social, economic, and environmental effects of road traffic congestion in a developing city's port and industrial areas. This study adopted an on-site survey strategy to collect data from regular road-users by administering questionnaires, performing volume count surveys, and measuring travel time, delay time, and vehicle speed throughout the day. Along with documenting numerous social impacts, this assessment also assessed the impacts on stress through a four-point Likert-type scale. The congestion level in the four divided road sections was identified using the Level of Service index and based on respondents’ opinions. The delayed costs, fuel loss costs, pollution costs, and loss of vehicle operators due to traffic congestion have been estimated. The study found that excessive vehicles, narrow roads, ineffective public transport modes, and bus operators’ attitudes are causing congestion, resulting in high to extreme stress levels for road users, with a total economic loss of $2.01 million per day. The overall stress score of 3.23 ± 0.71 indicates the impact of traffic congestion on the respondents was high to an extreme level and had significant social impacts on different sociodemographic groups. This study can guide future work regarding sustainable transportation systems in emerging cities as well as traffic planning and policy adaptation for sustainable transportation systems, focusing on the reduction of adverse socioeconomic impacts.