Manik Mia Avenue
Cars off-limits on first Friday every month
Announces Quader on World Car Free Day
Manik Mia Avenue, one of the busiest roads in the capital, will be kept free of cars on the first Friday of every month to promote the use of public transportation, said Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday.
“I talked to the secretary [of the ministry] and the people concerned, and we decided to keep the road [Manik Miah Avenue] free of private cars on the first Friday of every month,” he said while inaugurating the programmes of World Car Free Day 2017 observed yesterday [September 22].
The day is observed in different parts of the world to encourage motorists to give up their cars for a day, and promote improvement of mass transit, cycling and walking.
To uphold the significance of the day, words have to be put into real action, said the minister, the chief guest of the programme.
Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) in association with 48 government and non-government organisations, including United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), organised the programme on the road.
Speakers at the programme stressed the need for enhancing public transport services and restricting private cars on the city roads in order to improve the capital's road communication system.
They also urged the government to observe the car free day nationally.
Sudipto Mukerjee, country director of UNDP Bangladesh, said the government needs to encourage the car users not to use the vehicles much as most of the cars carry only one or two passengers each.
MAN Siddique, secretary of the ministry, said they will place a bill on the cabinet for an approval of observing the day nationally.
Restriction of private cars is necessary to keep the city liveable, and the government has a law in this regard, he said.
Syed Ahmed, executive director of DTCA; noted actor Ilias Kanchan, also the chairman of Nirapad Sarak Chai; and Abu Naser Khan, chairman of Poribesh Bachao Andolan (Poba), spoke among others.
Marking the day, different events -- dancing and cycling -- took place at the venue.