Ensuring safe roads

In the wake of a tragic accident on Airport Road, which killed two students and the consequent mass movement across the nation in demand for safe roads, Poribesh Bachao Andolon (POBA), an environmental advocacy group, held seminar titled ‘Death and anarchy of road: reasons and solution’. At the seminar, calls were made to adopt modern state of the art safety measures like digital traffic instead of human ones, especially during monsoon when accidents are highest. A startling revelation informs that between 2013 and 2017, in the months of May, at the beginning of monsoon, saw the highest number of accidents at 1299 with 1885 persons killed.

Suggestions were made to chalk out new strategies like making mandatory bus and emergency lanes to add a semblance of discipline to traffic movement.  Also, plans to include basic traffic rules in school and advanced ones in college curriculum were mentioned.

Students today, who will drive cars tomorrow, need to be aware of regulations even before they start driving.  During the students’ movement and checking of licenses on the street after the recent accident, it became clear that vehicles belonging to law enforcers and people in administrative posts did not have valid papers – an indication of a lax attitude towards road regulations among segments of authority. In such a scenario, the government has to adopt stern measures to ensure that their cars and drivers have fitness and necessary papers once they are on the road.

It’s absurd to expect safe roads with drivers carrying valid papers when the authority is found to be flouting the laws. Therefore, the government needs to act first and then strongly implement amended laws under which, bus lanes will have to be clearly chalked out on major roads, with speed limits not exceeding 50km per hour. In addition, roads that are under construction should be properly illuminated, have tyre-gripping zones to maintain the balance of vehicles during heavy rain and be clearly marked at every point by necessary traffic signs.

Ensuring safe roads

In the wake of a tragic accident on Airport Road, which killed two students and the consequent mass movement across the nation in demand for safe roads, Poribesh Bachao Andolon (POBA), an environmental advocacy group, held seminar titled Death and anarchy of road: reasons and solution. At the seminar, calls were made to adopt modern state of the art safety measures like digital traffic instead of human ones, especially during monsoon when accidents are highest. A startling revelation informs that between 2013 and 2017, in the months of May, at the beginning of monsoon, saw the highest number of accidents at 1299 with 1885 persons killed. Suggestions were made to chalk out new strategies like making mandatory bus and emergency lanes to add a semblance of discipline to traffic movement. Also, plans to include basic traffic rules in school and advanced ones in college curriculum were mentioned. Students today, who will drive cars tomorrow, need to be aware of regulations even before they start driving. During the students movement and checking of licenses on the street after the recent accident, it became clear that vehicles belonging to law enforcers and people in administrative posts did not have valid papers an indication of a lax attitude towards road regulations among segments of authority. In such a scenario, the government has to adopt stern measures to ensure that their cars and drivers have fitness and necessary papers once they are on the road. Its absurd to expect safe roads with drivers carrying valid papers when the authority is found to be flouting the laws. Therefore, the government needs to act first and then strongly implement amended laws under which, bus lanes will have to be clearly chalked out on major roads, with speed limits not exceeding 50km per hour. In addition, roads that are under construction should be properly illuminated, have tyre-gripping zones to maintain the balance of vehicles during heavy rain and be clearly marked at every point by necessary traffic signs.