At least 10 laws, regulations and policy reforms were introduced in the road transport sector since 2009. But, most of these remained largely unimplemented over the past 16 years.
Sector analysts said political interference and shifting priorities either shelved or rendered most of the initiatives inactive, leaving the sector more chaotic than ever.
They also said although several acts were enacted to replace the age-old British laws and ordinances, these have had little impact on the streets or on road transport operators.
These include the Dhaka Transport Coordination Act 2012, Road Maintenance Fund Act 2013, Metro Rail Act 2015, Bangladesh Bridge Authority Act, BRT Act 2016, BRTA Act 2017, Road Transport Act 2018, Highway Act 2021, Tolls Management Policy, and Axle Load Management Policy 2013.
Towards the end of the Awami League government, another initiative was taken to formulate a Road Safety Act, which was not finalised.
According to documents, the Road Transport Act (RTA) was enacted amid a student movement in 2018 and was supposed to become effective shortly after enactment.
However, it apparently remained shelved due to pressure from transport sector union leaders, who influenced the government to delay its implementation for nearly eight years because of the introduction of punitive measures against road safety violators.
On the same grounds, the Road Transport and Highways Division had initiated steps to amend the RTA before the Awami League was ousted on August 5, 2024. But it was not finalised.
The Road Maintenance Fund Act 2013, known as the Road Fund, was shelved despite taking eight years to formulate its regulations, finalised in 2022.
The Road Fund was enacted to carry out maintenance, repair and renovation of the country's 22,000 kilometres of roads under the Roads and Highways Department by creating a dedicated account from various transport-related fees and charges.
At that time, it was estimated that around Tk 20 billion could be mobilised annually from about 20 different sources, including road tax, motor vehicle tax, motor fitness fees, and route permit fees.
Among the policies, the Axle Load Management Policy 2012 failed to take effect from the beginning. The first policy proposed Tk 100,000 fines for overloading, as its damage on highways is many times higher than development costs.
Later, in 2017, political and business leaders persuaded the government to relax axle load limits in exchange for minimal fines of Tk 1,000 or more for road damage.
As a result, the regular practice of vehicle overloading has continued unchecked, with the transport operators routinely violating load limits. Besides, the project to establish 27 axle load control stations was also delayed.
Among other acts, the DTCA Act 2012 was enacted to replace the Dhaka Transport Coordination Board, granting it authority to coordinate transport agencies in and around Dhaka. However, the DTCA has remained a low-capacity and weak institution, allegedly due to the posting of non-technical personnel in key positions.
The BRTA Act 2017 was enacted to replace the previous ordinance and modernise the authority, but no significant change has been observed in its management or functionality so far.
The Highway Act 2021 was enacted to allow toll collection from roads and highways, as the previous government set a precedent not only by introducing expressways but also by constructing some of the most expensive roads (per kilometre cost).
Meanwhile, the toll policy was revised in 2024, but the British Toll Act of 1851 was not repealed. Although the government introduced electronic toll collection in 2017, its implementation remained in a limited scale.
Besides, the MRT Act and the BRT Act were formulated to regulate rail- and bus-based mass transport systems. But the BRT project has already been shelved, while MRT corridor development has stalled after the haphazard launch of a single metro-rail line.
None of the transport-related agencies coordinate effectively with one another, despite amendments to relevant laws specifying rules of business, said analysts.
smunima@yahoo.com