More weighbridges won’t save damaged roads
The government is set to procure a further 21 weighbridges on key highways to check overloading. The practice of overloading transport-laden lorries is causing a lot of damage to roads and bridges. Experts tell us that the authorities buckled under pressure from transport associations to raise the maximum weight limit on vehicles, over and above global standards, and this is why roads and highways are wearing off much faster than usual. Then of course there is the issue of alleged corruption taking place, where truckers are apparently paying off law enforcers to look the other way when their vehicles are caught to be carrying more weight than what is allowed. The authorities had first tried to enforce the issue of fining overweight trucks in 2016, but backtracked when transport owners and workers damaged the weighbridges in Manikganj and Chattogram.
Instead of taking the marauders to task, authorities caved in and raised the weight limit. Going against internationally-accepted weight limits, we now have the following: two-axle vehicles (six wheels) can carry maximum 22 tons, three-axle vehicles (10 wheels) can carry maximum 30 tons and four-axle vehicles (14 wheels), maximum 40 tons. Global standards set the limits for the three types of vehicles at 15.5, 22 and 32 tons respectively. Is it any wonder then that our roads and highways are wearing off much faster than they are supposed to? According to a survey by roads and highways department (RHD) on 17,452km of roads, 25 percent of the country's roads are in "poor, bad or very bad shape". Precisely what good will so many new weighbridges do except cost the national exchequer Tk 1,630.28 crore? As pointed out by an RHD official, carrying 40 percent more than the approved limit could reduce the lifespan of a road by five years. We are not willing to address the problems of overweight vehicles, nor are we serious about taking to task those officials who are allegedly taking bribes. Authorities would be saving a lot of money and headache over damaged roads if these issues were tackled instead of wasting public money which, given present circumstances, will not deliver desired results.
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