‘It should be realistic, not imposed’
Motorcycle manufacturers and assemblers have formally opposed the draft that transport authorities have prepared to control bikes in a bid to curb road crashes.
A delegation of Bangladesh Motorcycle Assembler and Manufacturer Association (BMAMA) raised their objection at a meeting with ABM Amin Ullah Nuri, secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division, yesterday.
The development came as groups of bikers have already protested the draft "Motorcycle Operation Guideline-2023" prepared by a government committee, that, among others, stipulates 30 km per hour as the highest speed limit for bikes in the city.
The secretary said the draft is at a preliminary stage, and they will talk with all stakeholders, including the manufacturers and assemblers, before finalising it.
A sharp and unregulated growth of vehicles, especially motorcycles and three-wheelers, over the last few years has resulted in a spike in the numbers of crashes and casualties, said experts and road-safety campaigners.
An investigation by a government committee into road crashes during last year's Eid-ul-Fitr holidays found a sharp rise in bike crashes and recommended banning motorcycles on national highways that don't have service lanes.
A proposal on banning motorcycles on highways was placed before the National Road Safety Council meeting on November 15 last year. But the council, led by Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, directed the authorities concerned to prepare a guideline instead.
Following the directives, a nine-member committee, led by a joint secretary of the division, prepared a draft.
As per the draft, the speed limit for bikes inside cities will be 30 kmph, and bikes below 126cc would not be allowed to operate on highways.
Nobody will be allowed to buy a motorcycle without a driving licence. Also, one would need a licence to get a motorcycle registered with the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority.
According to the draft, no biker will be allowed to carry a pillion on highways. Operation of bikes on national and regional highways will be suspended for 10 days before and after the day of any major festival like Eid.
Following media reports over the draft, a group of bikers staged demonstrations against it, and many people wrote critically on social media.
Against the backdrop, a four-member delegation of BMAMA, led by its president Matiur Rahman, met the road secretary.
Contacted, Biplob Kumar Roy, general secretary of BMAMA, said, "We told him that if such a guideline, as reported by media, is formulated, it will put serious negative impact on the country's bike industries."
"The guideline should be realistic; it should not be imposed," Biplob, also CEO of TVS Auto Bangladesh Ltd, told The Daily Star yesterday.
Secretary Nuri said the draft published in the media is at a preliminary level. "We have told them [BMAMA leaders] that we will talk with all stakeholders before finalising the draft as there is a necessity of a guideline."
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