The Minister for the Roads and Highways is frequently seen travelling on different roads and assuring better services. In so doing, he lays emphasis on the necessity of extending roads to four and six lanes. In fact, extension of highways to four or six lanes is ultimately not the solution intended. Slowing of speeds every now and then, rampant accidents due to frontal collision of vehicles from the opposite direction, overtaking, rash driving and absence of proper monitoring for road safety are the real issues that merit attention.
The extension or building new roads perhaps smacks of inner contradictions. The Finance Minister was quoted by newspapers as saying, there will be no further new roads constructed from now on.
On an overnight trip last year, we went to Khan Shontola, Ullapara and Sirajganj from Dhaka. We started at 7 in the morning and reached the destination after over 4 hours. Three to four years before, such a journey did not take more than 2 hours. The road from the T junction of the Ashulia Road to Chandra junction is a 4-lane developed road marked by divider though there are 2 lanes on each side for vehicles moving in the opposite direction.
Unfortunately, the divider is now used by the villagers as a footpath with patches of footprints killing the grasses instantly and many of trees planted by the contractor are now all gone.
Even the road from Demra Bridge to Meghna Ghat is divided by islands, but unfortunately, the island is marked by patches of spaces at certain intervals and through these spaces, the vehicles plying on the opposite side are often seen crossing over to the opposite side suddenly giving rise to great risks for accidents.
The solution clearly lies not by extension of our roads to four or six lanes. The sooner our planners understand this, it is better for the country. This is a pity that our people at LGRD/LGED also do not understand at all to take out bazaars and shops away from the side of the roads.
The present Communication Minister like his predecessor always talks about extending all the major roads to four lanes with no sign of improvement in the traffic flow. This is because one lane at least on each side remains occupied by bazaars, shops, parked public as well as private vehicles, patches of paddy spread all over, cows and/or goats moving around, villagers crossing over very leisurely off and on to the other side, making the extension more or less ineffective.
Our planners should examine the concept of dedicated roads in line with the western standard. One may remember, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in his last term in the government built a dedicated road in the European style from Islamabad to Lahore. This writer had the opportunity to go by this road in October 1998 while visiting Pakistan for inspection of the then branch of Rupali Bank at Karachi.
After assumption of office this time, within a month or so, Nawaz Sharif allocated work order to a Chinese company for a dedicated road from Islamabad to Karachi and the road is to be built within three years, with no time-consuming tendering whatsoever.
Many of us may remember, there had been many uproar in Pakistan against building of the dedicated road then, but this time, not a single voice was raised against the second dedicated road because they have already benefitted from what a dedicated road means to a country in traffic management.
Even those who had been to Thailand, and among others, travelled through the road from Bangkok to Pataya - the highway is only dedicated to motorised vehicles, demarcated by barriers on both sides, and the middle is divided by dugout lake. On both sides of the dedicated road, there are side roads for the shops and villagers around to use. Whenever they need to cross over, they use flyovers or foot over-bridge, as the case may be, and these are built at certain intervals, on both sides of the roads. This is what we need. If they can do it, why can't we?
Those who have travelled the road straight from Sirajganj to Natore and then onwards may have noticed a side road on one side lower than the main road for slow-moving vehicles. At certain intervals, the side road goes above to the main road level to cross over to the other side of the road, and the roadside shops are then allowed to come up at a distance from the lower road. At least this could be attempted in our case, until it turns out sour - so that this is not used for parking of rickshaws, vans etc.
Motorways are a new concept. A road in the UK having two lanes on both sides and separated by steel barrier all along is mainly used for travel from county to county before the motorways were constructed. It is said, the concept owed to Hitler - he built new wider, longer roads to roll his tanks in the World War II. The first motorway in Britain M1 was introduced only in the year 1958. Most of the roads in Europe or in the USA or Canada are now built similar to motorways.
Our planners are frequently visiting East and South East Asia, Singapore, Malaysia, Europe, the USA and Canada. Why can't we learn from their experiences? To this writer, it appeared, the network of Malaysian highways is the best in this region.
If we are unable to conceptualise what is happening around the globe, why can't at least the concept in Thailand or our own from Sirajganj to Natore at least be implemented?
Bangladesh needs at least the following dedicated road network:
* Dhaka - Benapole
* Dhaka - Mongla
* Dhaka - Cox's Bazar - Banderbon
* Dhaka - Kuakata
* Dhaka - Sylhet - Meghalaya border
* Dhaka - Kushtia - Meherpur
* Dhaka - Rajshahi
* Dhaka - Rangamati - Captai
* Dhaka - Khagrachori
* Dhaka - Dinajpur - Rangpur - Burimari - Banglabondh
The writer is former managing director of several banks and financial institutions
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