Policymakers unaware of public transport woes: Road Safety Foundation

People involved in formulating policies for public transportation in the country do not themselves use public transportation. Therefore, they cannot understand the suffering of the common people, speakers at a conference said. 

Due to a lack of coordination among government agencies involved in public transportation, there is a lack of discipline in this sector, they added. 

These statements were made at a press conference held on Saturday at the Road Safety Foundation office. The press conference was organized ahead of the 'National Dialogue on Institutional Management and Structural Reforms'.

Professor A.I. Mahbub Uddin Ahmed, Chairman of the Foundation, read out the declaration of the national dialogue at the press conference.

He said, "Public transport carries 53 per cent of passengers, while private vehicles carry 11 per cent of passengers. Yet, private vehicles occupy 70 per cent of the roads. This is a gross injustice to the common people."

The declaration further stated that there are no legal barriers to bringing motorcycles and private vehicles into the capital. But there are various obstacles to bringing buses and minibuses.

Regarding the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), the declaration stated that the chairman of this institution is appointed from the administrative cadre, who often lacks practical knowledge related to roads or motor vehicles.

The Road Safety Foundation recommended appointing a person with experience in roads and motor vehicles or an academic as the chairman of the BRTA.

The BRTA should be staffed with qualified personnel and training centers should be established under the control of the organisation to train drivers, the foundation said.

Criticizing the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA), the Road Safety Foundation stated that people are not familiar with this institution and it lacks effectiveness. The DTCA needs to be made functional.

The foundation recommended introducing company-based bus services in the capital, hoping that this would discourage the use of private vehicles in the capital and reduce traffic congestion.

Citing extortion as a major cause of disorder on the roads, the foundation said, "The vast amount of money from extortion in public transport reaches far and wide within the state. That is why the improvement and discipline of public transport are not being established. A group of people in political garb maintains mismanagement in the public transport sector for their own interests."

They further stated that incompetent drivers, faulty vehicles, inadequate roads, and unprofessional management by the owners are causing structural killings on the roads.

Also present at the press conference were Syed Jahangir, Vice-Chairman of the Road Safety Foundation, Ferdaous Khan, Professor Hasina Begum, and Shahnewaz Rabby, Assistant Professor at BUET Accident Research Institute, as well as Syedur Rahman, Executive Director of the Road Safety Foundation, and Zahidul Islam, Joint Secretary of the foundation.