Motorbikes a threat to pedestrians

TWO years down the line, authorities have failed to tackle the issue of free movement of people as pavements are regularly used by motorcycles to avoid snarling traffic jams in the city. Not only is this a violation of a High Court (HC) ruling issued on March 5, 2012, it constitutes a threat to the physical safety of Dhaka residents who use the walkways to move around. It is especially disheartening to witness that even mobile police use pavements whenever there is a traffic jam. Motorcyclists speed along with little regard for people plying what is rightfully their area for movement. It appears from the behaviour of drivers of two-wheelers that it is the responsibility of pedestrians to get out of their way to avoid a collision that may, and in many instances, do cause serious bodily harm.
The sad reality is that authorities entrusted with traffic control are little concerned with either HC directives or safety and wellbeing of people on the roads of Dhaka. We find it abhorrent at this utter lack of concern as to why the police have failed to take into cognizance the court's directives on ensuring unhindered movement of people in the city. That people in general have shown amazing patience in ignoring these marauding two-wheelers is no guarantee that scuffles will not break out in the future. With children and senior citizens using pavements, the threat of serious accidents cannot be ruled out and hence we strongly urge police authorities to take effective action against this new menace.