Dhania footbridge makes little difference
Although the much-awaited footbridge at the capital's Dhania area of Jatrabari has been built and inaugurated, pedestrians still continue to jaywalk on the road to cross the busy thoroughfare.
The 30-meter long bridge was built recently on meeting point of the Dhaka-Chittagong and Dhaka-Sylhet highway costing Tk 1.6 crore to thwart accidents, said sources at the Roads and Highway Division.
Vehicles on the highway usually cross the point without stopping, and many accidents took place in recent times that claimed several lives. Thousands of people cross the highway every day.
Following a demand from locals, the road and highways department constructed the footbridge which was inaugurated by Road Transport and Bridge minister Obaidul Quader on February 2 this year.
During a visit to the spot, this correspondent found some people were refraining from using the footbridge to cross the Dania-North Jatrabari junction, putting both vehicles and their lives at risk.
“I need to walk more to get up on the stairs of the footbridge and it takes more time, that’s why I prefer crossing the road to get across,” Fahim Ahmed, a student of Dania University College, told this correspondent after crossing the road.
Some of the pedestrian alleged that the footbridge is not placed where it was exactly needed. Being annoyed with the issue, most of them are using various road medians to get across.
Carrying two large bags, Habibur Rahman ran to cross the road in a hurry. When asked, he said, “It needs more time and labor to go on the bridge with these bags. So, it is easier to cross from under the bridge”.
Contacted, Md Amanullah, Narayanganj circle supervising engineer of Road and Highway division said, “We have constructed the bridge as directed by the authorities. But we cannot make the pedestrian force to use the bridge. This is their moral duty as a citizens.
“We have closed some medians on the road and we have placed workers there to shut such medians if such openings remain.”
When contacted, Md Rahamatullah, Comilla region additional superintendent of Highway Police said, "We try to warn pedestrians not to cross the road without the footbridge, even force them to get on it sometimes. We try to raise awareness in this regard as much as possible using loudspeakers."
“We work to create awareness in this regard as per our regular schedule,” he added.
The article was first published at Bangladesh Post
The 30-meter long bridge was built recently on meeting point of the Dhaka-Chittagong and Dhaka-Sylhet highway costing Tk 1.6 crore to thwart accidents, said sources at the Roads and Highway Division.
Vehicles on the highway usually cross the point without stopping, and many accidents took place in recent times that claimed several lives. Thousands of people cross the highway every day.
Following a demand from locals, the road and highways department constructed the footbridge which was inaugurated by Road Transport and Bridge minister Obaidul Quader on February 2 this year.
During a visit to the spot, this correspondent found some people were refraining from using the footbridge to cross the Dania-North Jatrabari junction, putting both vehicles and their lives at risk.
“I need to walk more to get up on the stairs of the footbridge and it takes more time, that’s why I prefer crossing the road to get across,” Fahim Ahmed, a student of Dania University College, told this correspondent after crossing the road.
Some of the pedestrian alleged that the footbridge is not placed where it was exactly needed. Being annoyed with the issue, most of them are using various road medians to get across.
Carrying two large bags, Habibur Rahman ran to cross the road in a hurry. When asked, he said, “It needs more time and labor to go on the bridge with these bags. So, it is easier to cross from under the bridge”.
Contacted, Md Amanullah, Narayanganj circle supervising engineer of Road and Highway division said, “We have constructed the bridge as directed by the authorities. But we cannot make the pedestrian force to use the bridge. This is their moral duty as a citizens.
“We have closed some medians on the road and we have placed workers there to shut such medians if such openings remain.”
When contacted, Md Rahamatullah, Comilla region additional superintendent of Highway Police said, "We try to warn pedestrians not to cross the road without the footbridge, even force them to get on it sometimes. We try to raise awareness in this regard as much as possible using loudspeakers."
“We work to create awareness in this regard as per our regular schedule,” he added.
The article was first published at Bangladesh Post
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