Bangladesh Road Transport Authority said that a plan was under consideration to allow motorcycles to use only the service lanes on the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga Expressway instead of the main lane for reducing increased number of road crashes.
BRTA chairman Nur Mohammad Mazumder came up with the announcement on Saturday during a visit on the expressway in Srinagar upazila of Munshiganj.
鈥榃e are planning to make the main expressway off-limit for motorcycles,鈥� he said, adding that, 鈥榓s per the statistics of road crashes, took place on the highway in last one year, over 40 per cent victims were motorcyclists and their pillion riders.鈥�
However, the motorcycles could be allowed to run on the service lanes only, as road crashes on the expressway had been increased, he added.
Currently BRTA and highway police are jointly conducting drive to control road crashes and bring order on roads.
On Saturday, three check posts were installed on the highway while BRTA executive magistrate Shifa Nursat and Hashara highway thana police conducted drive.
They realised Tk 27,000 from drivers of 11 vehicles for various reasons, including over speed, overtaking and using hydraulic horns.
Additional deputy inspector general of highway police Md Mostafizur Rahman was present during the drive. He said that initiative was underway to take legal action against the motorcyclists and their pillion riders without helmets on the highways.
About one person is being killed daily on average in road crashes on the expressway as its safety design was found faulty, revealed an accident research institute report in April 2023.聽
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina in March 2020 inaugurated the expressway, officially known as Jatir Pita Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Highway, built at a cost of Tk 11,003 crore.