Draft Road Transport Act

The draft of the Bangladesh Road Transport Act is apparently missing some key issues like speed limits, accident probes and victims' compensation according to road and transportation experts. We are surprised that this essential Act is on the verge of being enacted into law without keeping these provisions that will address safety concerns on highways. These concerns are valid as Bangladesh is about to become connected with the wider region under the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal motor vehicle agreement. Hence, it becomes imperative to include issues such as better traffic management and classifying vehicles according to type and weight. These concerns were shared in a stakeholder workshop jointly organised by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently.

Needless to say, our roads and highways have been for years a death trap for pedestrians and commuters alike. Reckless driving coupled with unruly pedestrian crossings has turned long road routes into danger zones. Yes, much has been done to address some of the biggest problems like blind corners and road dividers. But a lot still remains to be done. The Act was designed to tackle many of these issues which would make roads safer to use and also allow for compensation of victims. We urge the authorities to take into account concerns raised by various stakeholders and interest groups. It will perhaps take more time to incorporate changes, but the nation and the people will be benefitted by a more substantive Act, which the proposed one is not.