DMP installs retractable spikes again
Dhaka Metropolitan Police has once again installed retractable spike strips on a city street to prevent vehicles from taking the wrong side.
The device was set up last night on Shaheed Captain Mansur Ali Sarani, which is just opposite to the DMP headquarters.
The Tk 3.5 Lakh spike strips were made with the help of engineers of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, DMP Deputy Commissioner (media) Masudur Rahman said.
This time the tire shredders are a bit smaller and load sustaining, he added.
Meanwhile, a DMP press release yesterday said the new device would be in use from today.
In April, police applied the same method on Hare Road in the capital as part of a trial to see if such devices work effectively in preventing vehicles from taking the wrong side and the risk of head-on collisions.
However, the spike strips had to be removed two weeks later following directives from the government high-ups.
The directive came after several ministers raised objections about the device in a cabinet meeting. The wheels of a prominent minister's vehicle had gotten slashed when it went over the strip going against the traffic.
The Daily Star has recently run two reports on sport utility vehicles of some ministers and VIPs rampantly driving through the wrong side of road violating traffic rules and posing the risk of accidents.
The device the DMP used on Hare Road was made of stainless steel and cost around Tk 4.5 lakh and it had its own issues.
Just an hour after its inauguration, the spike strips malfunctioned leading to several vehicles getting their tyres shredded as vehicles' frequency and weight were not considered while picking the type of spikes.
Asked why the new device was installed on Shaheed Captain Mansur Ali Sarani instead of Hare Road, the DMP deputy commissioner said they took the decision considering the huge number of vehicles taking the wrong side there every day.
However, sources in the police said they have avoided Hare Road as their high-ups are against getting involved in any sort of dispute with the government top brass.
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