Motorcycle ban to continue

No good news for the motorcyclists yet as authorities are not considering lifting the ban on motorcycles on the Padma Bridge anytime soon.

They may wait until December this year to see a development on the issue as the work on installing a central surveillance system in the bridge area may finish by then.

“Surveillance is a continuous part of operation and maintenance. But the decision on motorcycles is uncertain at the moment. We may monitor the situation further before taking the decision,” Md Monjur Hossain, executive director of the Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA), told The Business Post.

“The surveillance system is yet to be fully set up. We have installed some cameras and equipment. These will help monitor vehicular movement and identify the offenders,” he said.

He added that they will think about letting the bikers cross the bridge after the system is up and running flawlessly.

Recently, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader also said that lifting the ban was still uncertain. He stressed that reckless driving on the Padma Bridge compelled them to take the decision.

Earlier, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam told reporters that the government would not allow motorcycles on the bridge before the installation of artificially intelligent CCTV cameras and speed guns. The government imposed the motorcycle ban on the Padma Bridge from 6am on June 27 till further notice after two people died in an accident between two motorbikes on the bridge on the first day it was opened.

Currently, bikers are resorting to using pickup trucks to cross the bridge with their vehicles, spending Tk 2,000 for each voyage. The bridge’s toll fee for motorcycles was Tk 100.