Capital’s night roads have become death traps for pedestrians
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
Pedestrians are the biggest victims of road accidents in the capital. Over the past six years, pedestrians accounted for 42 percent of those killed in road accidents in Dhaka. Most of these fatalities occurred at night. Heavy vehicles traveling at reckless speeds, inadequate street lighting and a lack of pedestrian friendly infrastructure have turned the capital’s roads into death traps for pedestrians at night.
According to a recent analysis by the Road Safety Foundation, 1,849 road accidents occurred in the capital from 2020 through July this year. A total of 1,384 people were killed in these accidents. Of them, 592 were pedestrians. The second highest number of deaths was among motorcycle riders, with 536 fatalities. In addition, 256 drivers and passengers of various vehicles including buses, rickshaws and CNGs were killed.
An analysis by time of day shows that the highest number of road accident deaths occurred at night. Over the past six years, 519 people were killed at night, accounting for 37.5 percent of the total deaths. In addition, 258 people were killed in the morning, 195 at noon, 174 in the afternoon, 142 at dawn and 96 in the evening.
Several recent accidents have also highlighted the severity of the situation. At around 12:45 AM at the beginning of this month, Md. Solaiman Dewan, 43, was killed after being hit by a covered van beneath the Shonir Akhra foot over bridge while returning home after visiting a neighbor who was receiving treatment at a hospital. In the middle of last month, Anwarul Haque was killed after being run over by a speeding truck while crossing the road on Jasimuddin Road in Uttara at around 9 pm.
Earlier, on June 7, a pedestrian was thrown onto the road after being hit by a speeding motorcycle at Moghbazar Wireless Gate. The person was then crushed under a bus of Azmeri Glory Paribahan and killed. On April 14 at around 5 am, Kamal Hossain (45) was killed after being hit by a lorry in the Demra Staff Quarter area.
Analyzing the types of accidents, relevant experts said the lack of necessary infrastructure for pedestrians to move safely is one of the major causes of these accidents.
Road Safety Foundation Executive Director Saidur Rahman said most of the necessary facilities for pedestrians on Dhaka’s roads are absent. Although the government builds sidewalks, they are later occupied. In places where foot over bridges are needed, they are often absent. Many of those that do exist have become unusable due to a lack of maintenance. As a result, pedestrians are forced to use the main roads.
“Since there are no bypass roads, the movement of heavy vehicles on the capital’s roads increases after 10 pm. These vehicles often travel at excessive speeds. The headlights of trucks also create risks for pedestrians. In addition, drivers’ mental impatience caused by long traffic jams, the mixed movement of fast and slow moving vehicles on the same roads and unplanned route permits are among the causes of accidents,” Saidur Rahman said.
The Road Safety Foundation has made several recommendations to the government based on the opinions of transport sector experts and stakeholders to reduce road accidents. These include introducing company based bus services through route rationalization to establish discipline in the capital’s transport sector. The organization has also recommended carrying out multifaceted activities through coordination among the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation, Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority, city corporations and traffic police.
Communication expert Md. Hadiuzzaman believes that pedestrians have been neglected in the construction of the capital’s roads while vehicles have been given priority. He told Agamir Somoy that Dhaka’s road infrastructure has mainly been developed with a focus on vehicle movement. The issue of safe pedestrian movement has not received sufficient attention. In many cases, sidewalks are narrowed to widen roads. Yet nearly 30 percent of the capital’s population travels to work on foot.
According to him, pedestrian friendly infrastructure could be developed across the capital by spending Tk 3,000 crore to Tk 5,000 crore on just 3,000 kilometers of roads.
The BUET professor blamed excessive vehicle speed for the increase in accidents at night. He said vehicles generally travel at higher speeds at night. New speed meters need to be installed to ensure discipline on the roads. If immediate action is taken against drivers for speeding, road accidents at night could be reduced significantly.
