Costs of poor road conditions  

Roads with potholes or other defects do not only make vehicles swing from one side to another and journeys uncomfortable but also force their owners to count an additional economic cost.

A Bangla financial daily some days back ran a front-page story quoting a study and relevant other sources on the issue.

The Bangladesh central road laboratory, reportedly, has estimated the average additional cost that a vehicle has to count at Tk 11.09.  However, the cost varies, depending on the size and make of the vehicles.

In good road conditions, the per-kilometre operating cost for a large truck is estimated at Tk 46.50. But the cost shoots up to Tk 69 in the case of poor road conditions. Similarly, the per-km operating cost for a long-distance bus using bad roads goes up by more than Tk 18.

According to research findings, the operating costs go up on a couple of counts. Firstly, poor road conditions cause technical wear and tear that leads to hike in repairing cost for motor vehicles. Secondly, the fuel cost goes up since the engines of vehicles have to bear additional pressure to cross the damaged parts of the roads.

Moreover, vehicles take more time when road conditions are poor. This leads to a cut in the usual number of trips for the commercial vehicles.

The owners of private vehicles usually do not bother much about the additional costs. They seem to be dissatisfied with the additional time spent on roads and discomfort created by poor road conditions.

But the owner of commercially run vehicles such as buses and trucks are not that generous. They are found to be unwilling to bear the additional expenses on account of poor road conditions. The costs are usually passed on to passengers in the case of buses and on to clients hiring trucks for transportation of goods.

The data maintained by the Highways development and maintenance of the Roads and Highways Department show that nearly 25 per cent of the country's roads and highways are in poor conditions. Some are, in fact, found to be in terrible conditions.

There is no denying that over the last one decade new roads and highways having substantial length have been constructed. But the RHD has not been that attentive to the maintenance of old roads. Non-availability of sufficient allocation is cited as the main reason for lack of maintenance of old roads. However, allegations have it that funds allocated annually for road maintenance is not used properly and a section of unscrupulous RHD officials and contractors eats up most part of the same.

It is now more or less a known fact that the cost of road construction in Bangladesh is one of the highest in the world. But the quality of construction work, unfortunately, remains one of the worst. It does not take too long a time for a newly-built road or highway to develop cracks or potholes because of the deviation from the original plan or use of poor construction materials.

The problem of severe traffic gridlocks on Bangladesh roads and highways is dreaded most by businesses and prospective investors from home and abroad. The poor road conditions are partially responsible for such road congestions.

The situation can be avoided if the government attaches due importance to maintenance of existing roads while building new ones. Road construction is seen as an achievement on the part of the government and relevant lawmakers. But smooth road conditions do contribute more to the national economy, save additional expenditure on account of vehicle repair and provide comfort to millions of road users. The policymakers should not be oblivious of these positives.

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