Risk of accidents to rise before Eid

Home Trips By Bus

Like previous years, unfit and unregistered vehicles plying the highways across the country during the home rush ahead of the Eid will be a concern as those vehicles very often cause accidents and traffic congestion.

A large number of such vehicles -- buses, minibuses and microbuses -- usually ply the roads in districts as local transport. But on occasions like the Eid when the demand goes astronomically high, these suddenly become inter-district ones.

“Our previous experience says these vehicles are responsible for tailbacks on roads and highways. They caused accidents or broke down on roads due to their bad condition, causing traffic congestion,” says urban transport expert Professor Shamsul Hoque.

Referring to a study of his, the professor of Civil Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology said the average daily traffic increases by two to two and a half fold from three days ahead of the Eid.

“These vehicles also put pressure on the roads, most of which are narrow and unable to take the extra load of vehicles,” he told The Daily Star.

Around 60,000 registered buses and minibuses ply across the country, according to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority.

However, about 20,000 unfit buses, minibuses and microbuses take the inter-district roads to make quick bucks during the Eid rush, transport operators claim.

“These unfit and unregistered vehicles do not enter the capital. They pick up passengers from the city exit-points or its outskirts,” said Osman Ali, general secretary of Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Sramik Federation.

Plying of the ramshackle vehicles that cause accidents, break down on roads creating tailbacks was discussed with importance at an inter-ministerial meeting chaired by Communications Minister Obaidul Quader last week.

At the meeting, both police high-ups and road transport owners blamed the unfit and unregistered vehicles for interrupting smooth vehicular movement last year.

When a vehicle breaks down on a road, it takes time to remove the vehicle and long tailbacks develop in the meantime. Worse still, some desperate drivers then take the wrong way, blocking the other lane of the road as well, making it a bigger challenge to clear the road.

The meeting decided not to allow unfit and unregistered vehicles to ply this time. Interestingly, similar decisions were made in last few years as well but neither the police nor the communications ministry could implement these.

“It is very tough to prevent plying of such vehicles when hundreds of passengers rush for a single transport. They even get on whatever they find ahead of the Eid,” said a police officer, wishing anonymity.

He suggested the government assess the demand of transport ahead of the Eid and take steps to introduce more passenger buses.

These unfit vehicles have caused concern to the transport operators already worried over the dilapidated condition of roads and highways across the country.

“As the home rush begins, some unscrupulous owners of unfit vehicles cash on it. They start operating their vehicles, causing congestion and accidents,” said Romesh Chandra Ghosh, managing director of Shyamoli Paribahan.

"The government must make the highways fit for traffic movement. Otherwise, it will be a terrible situation during the Eid rush," feared Khandaker Enayet Ullah, secretary general of Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Samity.

Meanwhile, the state-run Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) will start selling advance bus tickets from July 20 and start special bus service from July 24. A total of 450 BRTC buses will be operated daily from Dhaka to different destinations across the country, said Enayet Ullah.