Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Administrator Mohammad Azaz has called on all concerned, including drivers and owners, to drive motor vehicles according to the speed limit guidelines. He made this call through a public statement today in the occasion of monthlong road safety campaign on speeding organize by the Dhaka North City Corporation.
The DNCC Administrator cited global research data and said that the higher the speed, the higher the risk of road crashes and deaths. The World Health Organization 2017 publication ‘Save Lives – Reduce Speed’ mentioned that reducing speed by 5% on average reduces the risk of road crashes by 30%. The World Bank’s 2021 report ‘Mobility and Connectivity Series’ said that due to speed reduction, premature deaths of all types of road users have decreased by about 20% and pedestrian deaths by 39% in South Korea.
The DNCC administrator warned drivers that speeding is one of the major causes of road crashes. Vehicles speed on the road stops the life’s speed of people forever. He said that the speedier a vehicle is moving, the more distance is required to stop it. For example: A car moving at a speed of 50 km/h requires 14 meters to stop. Different types of vehicles are moving at a different speed in this city road; pedestrians use this road. Therefore, the World Health Organization has recommended a speed of 30 km on city roads.
The DNCC administrator further said that DNCC is taking various initiatives for road safety in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety. DNCC is identifying unsafe roads and intersections in coordination with Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and Vital Strategies. Making these unsafe roads and intersections to a safer road through design innovation with the help of World Resources Institute. Collaborating with DMP and Global Road Safety Partnership, organizing training for the traffic police to strengthen the implementation of existing laws. International Injury Research Unit of Johns Hopkins University and the Center for Injury Prevention Research Bangladesh are conducting behavioral surveys of people on the road. Collaborating with the Vital Strategies, training of journalists and awareness activities are organizing. It is noted that we have already started a mass media campaign on speeding with the technical support of Vital Strategies to aware people about the speed limit guidelines.
He cited a recent survey by Johns Hopkins University and said that 23% of all types of vehicles in Dhaka North are violating the speed limit guideline. The rate of speeding is highest among motorcycles (51%). In addition, the rate of using standard helmets on motorcycles is also low. Both, speeding and substandard helmets increasing the risk of death and property loss for motorcycle users.
Finally, DNCC administrator Mohammad Azaz requested the city dwellers to use the roads consciously. At the same time, he requested pedestrians to walk on the sidewalk and cross the road at designated places, motor bikers to respect the speed limit and use standard helmets, and cars, buses and other motor vehicle drivers should drive on city roads in accordance with the speed limit and traffic laws. He believes that these will gradually make Dhaka’s roads safer.
It is worth noting that the Motor Vehicle Speed Limit Guidelines 2024 sets the speed limits of all motor vehicles on city roads. For example,
- On national and regional highways crossing the city area and internal roads divided into at least 6 lanes, and having sidewalks and road crossings – the maximum speed limit for light motor vehicles such as cars, micros, jeeps, etc., medium and heavy vehicles such as buses and minibuses is 40 km/h and the maximum speed for heavy vehicles such as trucks, minitrucks, covered vans, etc., and motorcycles is 30 km/h;
- On primary urban roads, undivided and two-lane roads in urban areas, the maximum speed limit for light motor vehicles such as cars, micros, jeeps, etc. is 40 km/h and the speed of motorcycles is 30 km/h;
- The maximum speed limit for motor vehicles on narrow/shared and other roads within the city has been set at 30 km/h and for motorcycles at 20 km/h.