In a densely populated country like Bangladesh, mobility of people largely depends on public transports. It is sad that almost all buses, minibuses and other modes of public transport are unfit, dirty and unhygienic. Many operators again drive vehicles with fake driving licences. Some luxurious buses of long-routes are exceptions. In Dhaka city as well as the rest of the country, there is a growing need for better and safer ways to move people and goods. But the main roads and highways are in bad shape and remain choked with traffic. There is a rise in road fatalities and casualties due to reckless driving coupled with non-compliance with traffic rules by drivers.
As public transports in the capital are inadequate and unsafe, commuters largely depend on small vehicles like CNG-run auto-rickshaws, motorcycles, battery-run three-wheelers, cycle, rickshaws and private cars. All these are causing more chaos on roads and creating traffic gridlocks. According to transport experts, the system to ensure road safety is totally dysfunctional because traffic rules are not working here. It is the BRTA which is responsible for issuance of fitness certificates, registrations, route permits of motor vehicles and licences of drivers. Police oversee the observance of traffic rules. After the recent death of a Notre Dame student in an accident, it was found that a part-time cleaner of the city corporation was driving the killer waste-transporting vehicle. Even two of the three buses that were vandalised following the incident were without route permits.
BRTA’s 2020-21 annual report shows that a total 47.76 lakh vehicles were registered with it till June 30 this year. The authority issued a total 37.63 lakh licence to drivers during the same period, indicating that 10.13 lakh vehicles are being operated without licensed drivers. A total of 3,502 people were killed in 3,701 road accidents just in the first eight months of this year. However, different road safety organisations put the number as being much higher. We must acknowledge that the current transport system cannot go on for long, especially after Bangladesh’s attaining the eligibility for graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) bracket. The authorities must improve transportation on our highways, railways, waterways and cities so that people can smoothly commute and travel.
