Footbridges occupied
Aphotograph published in this newspaper on Thursday, of illegal shops occupying the staircase of the footbridge near Sadarghat in the capital, explains why most people in Dhaka refuse to use footbridges located across the city. The photograph also shows cables dangling on the stairs, forcing pedestrians to duck when using the footbridge or risk injuries.
In such circumstances, who can blame pedestrians for being unwilling to use the footbridge? And if other footbridges across the city are equally unusable, which pedestrians often complain is the case, who can blame them for jaywalking to get across by risking their lives, when footbridges are no safer? And how can people even use footbridges when they are often occupied by hawkers, illegal shops, etc?
We know that jaywalking is a major cause for accidents and loss of life. We also know from the World Bank's data that Bangladesh has one of the highest death rates from road accidents. Unfortunately, the most common response from the authorities to this is to launch spontaneous drives against jaywalkers. But what is the alternative available to pedestrians when the authorities fail time and again to make footbridges and underpasses safe and usable for them?
We call on the authorities to make footbridges, underpasses, and footpaths across the city fit for use. Otherwise, the problem of jaywalking cannot be addressed and neither can the loss of lives from road accidents be minimised.
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