Holidaymakers will face serous transport crisis as the government has imposed ban on motorcycles from highways for seven days before and after Eid-ul-Azha, to be celebrated on July 10.
At least 25 lakh motorcycles took to the roads during the last Eid-ul-Fitr. A large number of Dhaka city dwellers are in a mad rush to book advance train and bus tickets on Tuesday--four days before the Eid--due to the ban on motorcycles, according to sources.
Every year, the transport terminals in the capital city become hyper active with crowds of Eid travellers but during last Eid-ul Fitr, the picture was different. Thousands of people left the city for their homes on motorcycles as a result many buses left the capital with empty seats, which is unimaginable in the previous years during Eid, according to sources.
Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury Secretary General of Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity (BJKS) on Tuesday demanded not to ban motorcycles during Eid without resolving the public transport crisis. The BJKS has demanded that the risk of road accidents will increase if the riders of private bikes are harassed on the highways during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha.
The statement further said at present, more than 36 lakh motorcycles are running on the roads in the country. People are becoming increasingly dependent on motorcycles due to various reasons including public transport crisis, arbitrariness of bus owners, harassment of passengers at various places, anarchy in charging extra fares, mismanagement of train tickets, schedule disruptions and traffic jams.
This risky vehicle can never be an alternative to public transport. Even though ride-sharing has been introduced in the country to reduce traffic congestion by reducing the number of public transports.
Therefore, until the public transport crisis is resolved, the organization has requested to set the speed limit of the vehicle without banning private motorcycles, not to carry luggage, not to allow more than one family member to ride and to ensure maximum safety of the vehicle.
However, the motorcycle drivers want to return home on their motorcycles on the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha.
And with this demand, they held a human chain programme in front of the National Press Club in the capital on Tuesday. Drivers say the administration's decision to prevent accident is logical, but most of the accidents happen when incompetent and fake licence holders ride the motorcycles.
In that case these drivers need to be controlled. However, those who have a valid licence should be allowed to ride a motorcycle. Because, if they are not allowed to ride motorcycles, their Eid journey will turn into a nightmare.
Sweater factory operator Abdur Rhaman , who was waiting in a queue at the Kamalapur Railway Station in the capital for three tickets to Dinajpur, said he was uncertain about celebrating this Eid with his family members. The Bangladesh Railway has started selling advance train tickets at counters and online from July 1. Those intending to travel to northern districts, including Rangpur, Dinajpur, Lalmonirhat and Kurigram, were suffering seriously for inadequate number of tickets.
Bus operators said the pressure of passengers via the Padma Bridge was huge and the situation on the roads to northern districts was similar.
Eagle Paribahan's Gabtoli ticket counter In-charge Md Rubel said tickets were available for buses operating through the Paturia Ferry Terminal to Jashore, Magura, Jhenidah and other destinations in that direction but there were no tickets available for northern districts. He added that some buses, withdrawing from the Paturia ferry route, started operating via the Padma Bridge to cater to the demand for more transport.
A private company executive Abdur Razzak, who came to book bus tickets at the Gabtoli bus terminal on Monday morning to travel to his ancestral home in Barguna on July 8, was yet to get tickets. He complained that bus owners had increased the bus fare by Tk 200 to Tk 250 per ticket ahead of Eid.
Sheikh Asikur Rahman a motorcycle rider aged 21 years told the Daily Observer, "We earned a living from motorcycle ride sharing, but the government decision has made it difficult for us." Like Asikiur more than five lakh motorcycles are engaged in ride sharing business, according to sources.
At least 376 people were killed and 1,500 others injured in road accidents across the country during Eid-ul-Fitr holidays, according to a report published by Road Safety Foundation (RSF).
The statistics showed some 239 accidents took place where 314 people died. The report also said that some 283 road accidents took place in the last 14 days from April 25 to May 8. Among the deceased, 38 were women and 51 children.
During the period, a total of 128 road crashes took place while the number of accidents involving motorcycles was the highest, according to RSF report.
Some 156 people died in those motorcycle accidents before and after Eid days, which is 41.48 per cent of the total deaths, according to RSF report. Some 543 people were killed and 612 others injured in road accidents across the country in April this year.
The Road Transport and Bridges Ministry in a meeting on Sunday also decided that motorcycles, registered in one district, will not be allowed in other districts - meaning inter-district travel by motorcycles will be barred.
People can travel by motorcycles on highways with police permission for "logical and unavoidable" reasons, according to a notice from the Ministry. It said motorcycle ridesharing services outside permitted areas will be barred. "Law enforcers will take steps against those violating the instructions," the Ministry said.
