Motorcycle owners may get more time to fit front plates

The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has proposed extending the deadline for fitting manual number plates on the front of motorcycles from November 15 to December 31, citing difficulties in completing the task within the stipulated time.

A consideration paper from the BRTA chairman said about 6.8 million motor vehicles were registered in the country, including around five million motorcycles, accounting for nearly 74 per cent of the total.

Fitting manual number plates on the front of such a large number of motorcycles within the existing deadline would be extremely difficult, the paper said.

It also noted that motorcycle owners had expressed various opinions and concerns about the requirement in the media, while the issue had drawn discussion on social media.

Taking these factors into account, the BRTA has requested an extension until December 31. However, the proposed extension has not been confirmed as a final decision.

Earlier, a BRTA public notice set November 15 as the deadline for fitting and displaying manual number plates on the front of motorcycles.

The notice said the Road Transport Act, 2018 and the Road Transport Rules, 2022 provide for displaying motorcycle registration numbers at the rear on high-quality, retro-reflective metal plates fitted with radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology approved by the authority.

It added that a decision had also been taken to display registration numbers on the front of motorcycles.
Under the specified requirements, the front plate of a scooter must measure 200 millimetres in length and 100 millimetres in width. For other motorcycles, the plate must be 285 millimetres long and 50 millimetres wide.

Letters and numerals must be at least 20 millimetres high in both cases.
The plates must be made of stainless steel or aluminium, with Bangla letters and numerals printed in black against a white background. Decorative elements and designs are not permitted.

For motorcycles other than scooters, the registration number may be displayed in a single horizontal line.

At the initial stage, motorcycle owners have been instructed to fit the front plates themselves while complying with the prescribed specifications.

The earlier notice warned that legal action would be taken against owners who failed to fit the plates within the deadline.