An international road safety charity rejected on Saturday the proposed Road Transport Act (RTA) 2018 terming it incomplete.
The draft did not address issues except those concerning drivers, though those issues need to be taken into consideration in a bid to reduce road accidents and curb any chaotic traffic situation, the Road Safety Foundation said.
It said the act unilaterally addressed the faults of drivers and proposed punishment. But it failed to cover areas including unfit transport, unsafe driving, unsafe road and continuation of traffic rules violation.
Vice Chairman Abdul Hamid Sharif shared the foundation's views on the draft act at a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity in the city.
He read out a written statement on 'mismanagement in public transport and road transport act 2018: An evaluation' highlighting overall problems of the transport sector, mainly the city bus service.
Among others, Lecturer of Accident Research Institute (ARI) of BUET Shahnewaz Hasanat-E-Rabbi, Economist MS Siddique, Advocate Asadullah Tareq and Chief Executive Saidur Rahman spoke on the occasion.
The Road Safety Foundation is an international charity advocating actions to cut casualties on roads. It works for safe road and safe driving.
Hamid Sharif, who was also president of BARVIDA (Bangladesh Reconditioned Vehicles Importers and Dealers Association), said despite the popular demand for formulating a strict law to reduce road accidents and rein in road transport anomalies, the RTA could not provide for adequate punishment to those responsible.
He said it even dropped the acceptable provisions of the existing Motor Vehicles Ordinance, including third-party insurance by transport owners, which could ensure proper investigation into an accident by an insurance company and speedy disbursement of compensation to the accident victims.
"Road Transport Act 2018 failed to serve the interests of all stakeholders - workers, passengers - it only prioritised the interest of transport owners," he said.
He was answering to a question pointing to the fact that it is equally needed to increase professional facilities and road safety along with increase of punishment to traffic rules violators.
BUET's ARI lecturer Shahnewaz said the act failed to properly address three Es-Engineering, Enforcement and Education, as the lack of experts, engineering knowledge and pedestrian guidelines is also a factor in the chaotic traffic situation.
He queried what punishment the law enforcers should face for failing to perform due roles.
Another speaker at the function blamed ministers for the chaotic traffic situation and transport anomalies in the country.
He said the culture developed due to allowing them to perform multiple roles causing a conflict of interest.
"We support the students who have proved that abiding by traffic rules and getting a smooth traffic system are possible," he said. He lent his support to the students' nine-point demand.
The foundation pushed for meeting the demand for updating the act in the present context, keeping provisions for stopping extortion in the public transport sector, freeing it from political interference, establishing a mechanism to measure the level of addiction of drivers, pollution and total withdrawal of unfit vehicles from streets.
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