Unnecessary speed breakers being removed: Quader
Communications Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday informed parliament that the ministry has taken various measures, including removal of unnecessary speed breakers from highways, to lessen road accidents, a major concern in the country's road communications.
The parliamentary standing body on communications ministry had earlier asked the ministry to take the initiative.
Quader also assured lawmakers that the ministry's activities over curbing road accidents will become visible by the middle of next year while incidents of road fatalities will be reduced to a tolerable level.
“Speed breakers, in many cases, are erected on highways in an unplanned way and sometimes illegally, resulting in road accidents in many cases.
“We have already removed many such speed breakers from different highways, including Dhaka-Aricha, Dhaka-Mawa and Comilla-Laksam,” said Quader.
He said several months had passed with only two accidents taking place on the Dhaka-Aricha highway, an outcome of his ministry's measures.
He also said measures were taken to halve the number of speed breakers on the Dhaka-Comilla highway.
There are over 40 speed breakers on the 30-kilometre Dhaka-Mawa highway, many of which are unnecessary, he said.
Apart from the drivers' fault, the minister also blamed people's reluctance to use foot bridges, overloading of vehicles, speeding and overtaking for road accidents.
He stated that roads which were in bad shape across the country would be repaired ahead of the next rainy season.
Replying to another query, he informed the House that 80 to 85 percent of trains in the country were running on time.
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