Roads in Dhaka remain unsafe due to several factors, including excessive vehicle speed, absence of safe road designs and pedestrian crossings, unsafe road-crossing practices, chaotic passenger pick-up and drop-off, lack of awareness about speed limits and traffic laws, and widespread non-compliance with traffic regulations. Therefore, coordinated measures are urgently needed, including safer road designs, safer crossings, mass media campaigns for public awareness on speed limits and traffic laws, and stronger enforcement of traffic regulations. Speakers highlighted these issues at a day-long training workshop organized by the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), and the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) at a hotel in Dhaka, a press release said.

As a part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), the training was held today, 25 June and was inaugurated by Brigadier General Syed Rakibul Hasan, PSC, Chief Engineer of DNCC. He stated that efforts to improve safety on roads under DNCC’s jurisdiction are ongoing. Through collaboration with DMP, crash data are being collected and analyzed to identify high-risk locations, which are then being redesigned to improve safety. Training is being provided to DNCC engineers and urban planners on safe road and intersection design. Moreover, journalists are also trained to enhance their capacity for producing solution-oriented reporting. Mass media campaigns are being organized to raise awareness among drivers and road users about speed limits. He requested stakeholders to expand the scope of BIGRS initiatives.

The session was chaired by Md. Abdul Wadud, BIGRS Coordinator and former Additional Secretary. He emphasized that key elements of road safety include safe road design, speed management, safe pedestrian crossings, public awareness of speed limits and traffic laws, effective enforcement of existing traffic regulations, and the enactment of comprehensive road safety legislation. Among others, Peter Jones, Senior Road Policing Advisor at GRSP, and Naeem Raihan Khan, Executive Engineer (Traffic Engineering Circle), DNCC were present at the event.

Peter Jones conducted the training. He discussed the importance of controlling excessive speed to prevent road crashes, the use of speed management technologies, safe management of roadside checkpoints, and the role of law enforcement. Through audiovisual presentations, graphs, and research findings from different countries, participants were shown the risks associated with speeding. 

A video produced for DNCC and DMP’s mass media campaign on speeding, titled “Rebecca’s story” was also screened. Vital Strategies provided technical support for this campaign and its video based on true story of young women Rebecca who lost her loved one due to speeding on Dhaka’s road. 

Farzana Islam Toma, Consultant at the World Resources Institute (WRI), highlighted how safe road design can be used to manage speed and discussed the potential roles of DNCC and DMP officials in implementing such measures.

In the afternoon, the closing ceremony was chaired by ASM Shamsur Rahman Bhuiyan, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic–Dhaka North), DMP. He presented certificates among the participants. He thanked GRSP and BIGRS for organizing this training to strengthen the capacity of DMP officers and requested that similar training be conducted more frequently and on a larger scale.

The closing session was facilitated by Md. Golam Hossain, Enforcement Coordinator, BIGRS, and Engr. Rezaur Rahman, Transport Coordinator, BIGRS. Among others, Aminul Islam Sujon, Technical Advisor, Vital Strategies, and Dr. Tanvir Ibne Ali, Surveillance Coordinator, BIGRS were present. The training was attended by 30 traffic police officers of DMP—including Traffic Sergeants, Sub-Inspectors, Inspectors, and Assistant/Deputy Police Commissioners—as well as 5 engineers from DNCC.