Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) observed the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDoR) on 17 November 2024 (third Sunday of November) with a roundtable discussion meeting. DNCC has organized this meeting under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), with technical support from Vital Strategies.
This meeting was held at the conference room of DNCC with the participation of various government and non-government stakeholders, civil society, academia and road crash victims.
Mir Khairul Alam, Chief Executive Officer (Additional Secretary) of DNCC chaired this meeting. DNCC’s Chief Engineer Brig. Gen. Md. Moin Uddin speaking as an honored guest. Superintendent Engineer of Traffic Engineering Cirle (TEC), Khandaker Mahbub Alam has given a welcome speech. BIGRS Initiative Coordinator Md. Abdul Wadud moderated the meeting and the keynote presentation was shared by Aminul Islam Sujon, Technical Advisor of Vital Strategies.
In his speech, Mir Khairul Alam, CEO of DNCC said, DNCC is engaged to create safer roads for everyone within its jurisdiction. In this regard, DNCC has been working with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), and other government, non-government and concerned international organizations to make the city streets safer for people. For this reason, DNCC has partnered with the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) aiming to reduce road traffic crashes, deaths, and injuries in Dhaka city.
DNCC’s chief engineer Brig. Gen. Md. Moin Uddin maintained that it is important to ensure pedestrians’ safety on footpaths and roads. Those who were killed on the roads in Dhaka, were mostly pedestrians, motorcycle and bicycle users. To enhance and ensure pedestrian safety, construction of wide and connected footpath networks, raised zebra crossing, redesigning and treating faulty infrastructure, a sound traffic operating system and strategic mass media campaigns will play crucial roles. Aligned with this vision DNCC is working with relevant government stakeholders to create safer footpaths and roads. Evidence suggests that competition during overtaking may lead to fatal road crashes. This lethal culture among drivers must not go unchecked. By and large, all road users should be careful and abide by the traffic rules while using the road.
Sufian Ahmed, Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Joint Commissioner (Traffic-North), stated that the DMP has been working to make Dhaka’s roads safer in accordance with the enforcement capacity that have been granted to the police under the Road Transport Act 2018 and Road Transport Rules 2022. Cooperation from everyone is necessary to ensure road safety. If vehicles and road users adhere to the laws, achieving road safety will be a reality.
Md. Abdul Wadud, Initiative Coordinator of BIGRS started the discussion with the objectives of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WoDR) 2024 are to provide a platform for road crash victims and their families to reminisce, talk about the people killed and seriously injured in crashes and how these untimely losses have impacted the lives of the friends and families. This Day also aims at drawing sufficient attention to bring about commensurate legal responses to those who are liable for these crashes, deaths and injuries and the suffering that follows. At the same time, this day advocates for the appropriate responses and support for better supporting the road traffic victims and their grieving families. Additionally, WoDR promotes the implementation of evidence-based actions and interventions to reduce death on roads.
Aminul Islam Sujon, Technical Adviser, Vital Strategies emphasized in his keynote presentation that the purpose of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WoDR) is to provide a podium to the families of road crash victims to remember the lives of those who died prematurely and those who were maimed and robbed off their normal physical and social functioning because of road crashes. WoDR also facilitates dialogues involving a larger audience to ensure legal rights of the crash victims and to minimize deaths on road through the implementation of evidence-based measures suggested and backed by local research. He added that this year upholds the stories of ‘THAT DAY’ when traffic collisions stopped or changed the course of the victim’s lives forever. Each victim has their individual tidings and unfortunate stories which their families and loved ones carry in their memory. The emotional charge of that day is so strong that it remains in memory forever. Therefore, on WoDR 2024, remember the stories of “that day”.
In the open discussion, speakers said that road crashes impose serious threats on public health and human lives. It is an actual pandemic, affecting primarily our vulnerable and our young, which in addition to the trauma of injury and bereavement has also a devastating economic impact for countries, communities and families. Therefore, during the Decade of Action 2021-2030 the World Day has an important role in helping to achieve the 50% road casualty reduction target. Pedestrians, motorcycle and bicycle users are more vulnerable in Dhaka. More than half of those killed in Dhaka are pedestrians and motorcyclists.
WRI Sustainable Cities Program Consultant, Farzana Islam Toma, said that we frequently hear about road crashes in front of educational instituttions. Safe design of infrastructures can significantly reduce road crash incidents and fatalities. The authorities concerned should focus on safer design of streets to make a pedestrian friendly environment in this city.
BIGRS Surveillance Coordinator Dr. Tanvir Ibn Ali said that the DNCC is coordinating with the DMP, Center for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh (CIPRB) and international partner Vital Strategies and Johns Hopkins University’s International Injury Research Unit (JHU-IIRU) to collect and analyze crash data and road users’ behaviors data in Dhaka. The analysis of this data, on the one hand, can produce insights on the severity and extent of crashes and fatalities, vulnerable road users and identification of high risk crash locations. On the other hand, the findings from the survey data such as speeding, helmet/seatbelt use, and drink driving can shed light on the risky road user behaviour that are prevalent in Dhaka. Use of these data for blackspot treatment and making changes in the road safety policies can make tangible safety improvements in the lives of the people in Dhaka and Bangladesh as whole. This includes collecting death fatalities data from police to identify the hotspot of road crashes. Also, road users’ data, such as speeding vehicles and using proper and standard helmets are collected frequently.
DNCC’s Superintendent Engineer Khandaker Mahbub Alam expresses gratitude to the Bloomberg Philanthropies for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) and its implementing partners for sharing knowledge of the international best practices and technical assistance to design safer footpath, neighborhood and intersections. He urged everyone concerned in this area to continue their support to strengthen road safety in Dhaka.
Ms. Rownak Karim, a retired teacher of BAF Shaheen School and College, a mother who lost her only child Shouvik Arjun (42) in the same fatal crash that took the life of Ariful Islam. Both were close friends. Ms. Rownak reminisces that she had to gone through a lot of hassles to get the death certificate of her son. She urged the concerned authorities to provide administrative support to those family whose dear ones get killed in road crashes to ease and support the grieving families.
Young Rebecca Sultana Nila, a teacher, lost her husband Ariful Islam (42) in a deadly crash. She maintains that this was an institutional killing borne of the negligence from the pertinent city institutions and stakeholders. That crash took place because of a large pothole, a rickshaw on the wrong side and a speeding truck on the road. Because of these factors I have lost my husband, and my child lost her father. Musabbir Hossain (38), who was severely injured in a motorcycle crash in Hatirjheel, recounted his experience stating that an over speeding vehicle hit him from behind and ran away. He mentioned that he only survived because he was wearing a standard helmet although he remained unconscious for around 17 hours. Mr. Hossain has pleaded with everyone to avoid speeding on the road.
The event also featured discussions by Mohammad Arifur Rahman, Addl. Chief Engineer of DNCC; Rezaur Rahman, Transport Coordinator – BIGRS; Tamanna Mizan, Manager – BRAC Road Safety Project; Kazi Borhan Uddin, Project Manager – Road Safety Program of Center for Injury Prevention and Research (CIPRB); Naeem Raihan Khan, Executive Engineer – Traffic Engineering Circle, DNCC; Md. Monowarul Islam, Advocacy Officer – Dhaka Ahsania Mission; and Md. Julhas Ahmed, Project Officer – Dhaka International University (DIU).
The roundtable meeting concluded with one-minute silence to honour the victims of the crashes on Dhaka roads, including Shouvik Arjun, son of Rownak Arjun and Ariful Islam, the husband of Rebecca Sultana.
