Quader says government will not lift three-wheeler ban, future highways will have separate by-lanes for them

Roads Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader has said there is no way the government would be backing off from Aug 1 ban on slow-moving vehicles and three-wheelers on national highways.

His declaration came on the fifth day of agitations by CNG-driven auto-rickshaw drivers and owners against the highway ban. 
 
However, the minister promised lanes for slow-moving vehicles alongside highways in the future. 
 
On Wednesday, he said at a programme in Chittagong marking the birth anniversary of Sheikh Kamal, “Auto-rickshaws would not be plying highways at the moment. 
 
“However, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina instructed me to keep by-lanes for slow movers. We will make those on the highways we will be building in the future.” 
 
The government banned slow-moving vehicles from the national highways which make only 3,570 kilometres, 1.42 percent, of all roads in Bangladesh.

“They can travel in the rest 250,000 kilometres. There will be no negotiations on the plying of auto-rickshaws,” the minister asserted. 

“Life comes before livelihood. So I would ask owners, drivers to stay off the national highways until the by-lanes are constructed.”

The minister continued that the ban was the government’s first move to bring discipline to the transport sector. 
 
“We are building elevated highways, metrorail and tunnels. None of it will be of any use if we do not bring discipline.”  

He said the upgrading 143-kilometre stretch of Dhaka-Chittagong Highway to four lanes was almost done and people would be enjoying its benefits from December.