Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam today said rainfall could pose an additional challenge during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha travel rush, as it often worsens congestion and makes traffic management more difficult.
“Around 1.5 crore people leave Dhaka within two to three days during Eid. This year, the rush will also involve the movement of nearly one crore cattle,” he said at a press briefing after a preparatory meeting on Eid travel arrangements at the Secretariat at noon.
The minister said road crashes remain a major concern, with around 4,500 to 5,000 people dying in road accidents every year in Bangladesh.
He said 170 people were killed in road accidents during the 11 days surrounding the last Eid travel period, including 43 on highways.
“The state does not want this. But road accidents remain a reality, and we have not yet been able to overcome it,” he said.
Rabiul said the country’s highways were not designed like major highways elsewhere, as battery-run vehicles and vehicles meant for smaller roads often enter them without proper control.
He said smaller roads often connect to highways at 90-degree angles instead of merging through left-side lanes.
Under a World Bank-supported road safety programme, the government has taken initiatives to redesign such road connections and bring them into left-lane systems, he said.
The minister said members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) will be deployed at important toll plazas and congestion-prone points during the Eid rush.
Meanwhile, the ministry has requested 50 additional magistrates for mobile courts. With Bangladesh Road Transport Authority’s (BRTA) existing 19 magistrates, around 69 mobile courts are expected to operate during Eid.
A 24-hour control room will remain open at BRTA headquarters from May 20 to 31 to monitor highways, and vigilance teams will monitor Gabtoli, Sayedabad and Mohakhali bus terminals.
BRTC and private buses will be kept ready near garment industry hubs. Metro rail schedules will be adjusted, while 10 medical teams will conduct drug tests on drivers.
