Dhaka-Sylhet Highway: 55 blackspots vulnerable to road crash

News Desk :
Fifty-five blackspots on the Sylhet section of the Dhaka-Sylhet highway are vulnerable to road accidents, according to highway police.
Due to these blackspots, the death toll in road crashes on the highway is increasing.
According to data, the number of accidents on the Sylhet part of the highway was 85 in 2021 whereas in 2022, this number increased to 112.
Not only have the accidents increased, but also the loss of life. In 2021, 102 people lost their lives on this road while this number stood at 123 in 2022. The number of people killed in crashes has thus increased by 21 compared to the previous year.
These blackspots have been identified by the highway police considering the curves of the road, obstacles in the line of sight because of plants or structures on the side of the road, market stalls, narrow roads, number of crashes etc, said highway police Sylhet region Superintendent of Police Md Shahid Ullah.
Out of 55 blackspots in the Sylhet-Habiganj section of the highway, many people have lost their lives in the Sylhet-Sherpur section.
Among them, Tetli of South Surma, Lalabazar ‘Phasir gache’, Rashidpur, Nazirbazar, Brahmangram-Kashertal of Osmaninagar upazila, Goalabazar-Goynaghat, Burunga road mouth from 19 miles, Niraiyar Bridge, Kagajpur, Begumpur Bazar, Fakirabad, Bhanga (Gazia) and the space between Sadipur Bridge to the tolls plazas is notable for blackspots.
He also said that there is no road marking in most places of Sylhet-Dhaka highway. Although there is no provision, there are speed breakers everywhere on this highway. Auto rickshaws cannot be stopped on the highway even with fines. In addition to driving at reckless speeds, drivers are also driving without rest.
At the same time, many people are carelessly moving from one side of the road to another, causing rise in accidents.
Sejul Ahmad, 34, a businessman of Goalabazar area of Osmaninagar, said that due to the reckless speed of the vehicles, the number of deaths on the road is rising.
Accident Research Institute (ARI) of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) Assistant Professor Kazi Md Saifun Newaz said that the main reasons for the increase in highway crashes are the lack of road markings, feeder roads (side roads) and the presence of auto-rickshaws along with dangerous bends on the roads.
Moinul Islam, former driver of Sohag Paribahan and president of Sylhet District Road Transport Owners Sramik Union, said that there is no separate lane on Sylhet-Dhaka highway. Cars travel through only one side. Besides, this highway is very narrow. Even though traffic on the road has increased several times compared to before, the width of the road has not been increased.