More than 5500 kilometre of highways out of 21,595km across the country have turned into deathtrap as they do not have safety signs and markings on them.
Besides, the sorry state of the highways due to damages on them has only added to the sufferings and risk of the passengers.
Frequently accidents occur on these highways killing and injuring people. But the authority concerned seems have no willingness or responsibility to carry out their duty of mending the roads as well as put the signs and marks on them.
Besides, violation of traffic rules, reckless driving and evil race on highways by drivers have become the order of the day across the country, causing deadly road crashes.
To ensure highway safety, signs and markings play important role. Drivers can learn many advance precaution that need to take while driving on the highway.
However, the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) has taken initiatives to mark the highways and install signs to stop the unwanted accident and save lives.
Under the project “Establishment required signage and road markings on national and regional highways and development of identified risky corridors” the authority concerned will implement the work.
Under the project, sustainable and safe highway network will be developed establishing signs and markings on the highway. The project will be completed with an estimated cost of Tk 651.26 crore within December 2021.
According to RHD information, the government is working in building sustainable safe highways to ensure socio-economic condition of the country. This has been a great challenge for the authority concerned to develop network and adequate infrastructures. Installing the signs and markings on the highways is not yet satisfactory.
Under the financial aid from Asian Development Bank Technical Project of 2012, the authority concerned identified 1372km risky highway across the country. Of the total, 300 kilometers highway have already been developed. But still maximum highway remain as usual.
Besides, based on Bangladesh Highway Police list, RHD has identified ‘No sign and symbol and accidental area’ where the government will take initiative to ensure safety on those highway.
RHD caretaker engineer AKM Mohammad Fazlul Karim said, “Signs and markings are absence in many parts of highway. For this many accidents take place. For this, we are working to put sign and markings on these parts of the highway. Due to proper markings, in many cases, driver also lost their ways. To ensure safety these are very important”.
For smooth operation of signs and markings, the authority has proposed to purchase taka five crore equipment. For local training Tk 3 crore, for foreign training Tk 1,50,00000 and for raising awareness Tk 3 crore has been proposed.
Once the project is implemented, the authority concerned is very much hopeful that it will reduce accident in the highways.
