Staff Correspondent

A meeting on "Bangladesh Road Safety" was held on Wednesday at a hotel in the city  where the importance of reducing road crashes through data-driven initiatives across cities including Dhaka and Chattogram was emphasized.

To reduce premature deaths on roads, the meeting highlighted the need for proper data management on crashes and fatalities, formulating and enforcing a comprehensive road safety law, controlling speed limits, use of seat belts and standard helmets, safe road planning and construction, and mass media campaigns. 

The meeting was jointly organized by the Road Transport and Highways Division and Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), with support from Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Chattogram City Corporation (CCC), and Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP).

The daylong meeting was inaugurated by Md. Ehsan-E-Elahi, Senior Secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division, as the chief guest. Among the special guests were Kelly Larson, Director of Road Safety Program at Bloomberg Philanthropies; Abu Sayed Md. Kamruzzaman, CEO of DNCC; Md. Sarwar, Additional Commissioner (Traffic) of DMP; S.M. Touhidul Islam, CEO of CCC; and Taifur Rahman, representative from Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP).

Md. Abdul Wadud, BIGRS Initiative Coordinator, Dhaka, moderated the session.

Chief guest Ehsan-E-Elahi reaffirmed the government's commitment to drafting a comprehensive road safety law aligned with the World Health Organization’s Safe System approach. He stated that the government is currently working with both public and private stakeholders to prepare a draft law. He expressed gratitude to international organizations for their support and exchange of global experiences in road safety. “With coordinated action, Bangladesh’s roads will become safer in the days ahead,” he added.

Special guest Kelly Larson noted that Bloomberg Philanthropies, through BIGRS, is working to save lives by improving road safety in 27 cities globally. Dhaka North and Chattogram City joined the initiative in 2020 and have since been working to make city roads safer by collaborating with international partners. The Bangladesh government has developed a speed limit guideline based on road type and vehicle category, utilizing global examples. Effective enforcement of this will reduce speed and save lives.

DNCC CEO Abu Sayed Md. Kamruzzaman said,  under BIGRS and with technical assistance from the World Resources Institute (WRI), DNCC redesigned and made safer the area near Banani Bidyaniketan School and the Mohammadpur Bus Stand. Additionally, 160 urban planners and engineers, along with 50 journalists, received training on various road safety topics.

DMP Additional Commissioner Md. Sarwar said, DMP is continuing various initiatives to enhance road safety. Through coordination with DNCC, road crash data is being analyzed to identify high-risk areas. With support from GRSP, police officers have received training.

CCC CEO S.M. Touhidul Islam thanked Bloomberg Philanthropies for supporting capacity building efforts based on international experience. He said, “We have just begun our work in road safety, and we hope road users in Chattogram will see positive outcomes in the future.”

The meeting also highlighted initiatives by DNCC and CCC, including identification and reconstruction of high-risk zones, installation of speed breakers, and clearing footpaths from encroachments. Nearly 100 journalists have been trained to raise public awareness about road safety. Under the BIGRS initiative, GRSP has provided training to officials of DMP and CMP on speed enforcement and road law implementation.

Md. Abdul Wadud (Dhaka) and Labib Tajwan Utsab (Chattogram), BIGRS Initiative Coordinators, presented past achievements from both cities.

DNCC and DMP jointly launched the "Dhaka North Road Safety Report 2023" at the meeting. According to the report, 123 people died in 117 road crashes within DNCC’s jurisdiction in 2023, of whom 61% were pedestrians and 24% were motorcyclists. To ensure pedestrian safety, emphasis was placed on pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, speed limit enforcement, and helmet use.

Representatives from government, non-government, and international organizations reviewed progress on road safety measures taken in Bangladesh and discussed future strategies to prevent road crashes. Key participants included Dr. Shariful Alam (Global Health Advocacy Incubator), Dipan Bose (World Bank’s Global Road Safety Facility), Dr. Watin Alam (WHO), Ilias Kanchan (President, Nirapad Sarak Chai), Dr. Selim Mahmud Chowdhury (CIPRB), Brett Herman (GRSP), Aminul Islam Sujon (Vital Strategies), Avtar Valla and Farzana Islam (WRI), Dr. Tanvir Ibn Ali (Surveillance Coordinator, BIGRS Dhaka), and Mamunur Rahman from Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority.

Speakers emphasized the need for stronger coordination among responsible agencies, formulation and implementation of research-based action plans, and public awareness campaigns to ensure road safety.

In the concluding session, remarks were delivered by Grant Ennis, Deputy Director of Vital Strategies; Md. Ziaul Haque, Additional Secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division; Shitangshu Shekhar Biswas, Director (Road Safety), BRTA; Levanta Miller from Bloomberg Philanthropies; and Asfiquzzaman Akhtar, Additional Police Commissioner of CMP.

The meeting was also attended by representatives from Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, Bangladesh Road Safety Coalition, BUET Accident Research Institute, and BIGRS Dhaka and Chattogram.

The session ended with a collective commitment to work together to establish a modern and safe road transport system in Bangladesh, aiming to halve road crash fatalities by 2030 as per the UN declaration.