Home
+
Published : 07 Apr 2026, 08:34 PM
The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has launched a drive to clear footpaths of encroachment to improve pedestrian safety.
DNCC Administrator Md Shafiqul Islam Khan said “more than half” of those killed in road accidents in Dhaka are pedestrians.
“We have started clearing footpaths to ensure their safety,” he said at a report launch event in Gulshan on Tuesday.
The report, titled Road Safety Situation in Dhaka, was prepared under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) programme with technical support from Vital Strategies.
The report found that 540 people died in road crashes across the city during the two-year period.
Pedestrians made up 56 percent (303 deaths) of the total, followed by motorcyclists at 24 percent and rickshaw passengers at 8 percent.
Men aged between 20 and 49 accounted for 80 percent of the fatalities, indicating that most victims were of working age.
Night-time accidents involving reckless buses and trucks were identified as the primary causes of death.
The report also mapped "high-risk" zones, identifying the Jatrabari and Airport intersections as the deadliest, with 12 deaths each.
Notably, an 8km stretch of the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway -- from the Army Golf Club to Abdullahpur -- recorded 67 deaths, averaging more than eight fatalities per kilometre.
DNCC Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Asaduzzaman said all relevant agencies must work together, while Chief Engineer Brig Gen Syed Rakibul Hasan emphasised data-driven planning.
He said high-risk roads and intersections under DNCC would be redesigned.
"We will prioritise safe crossing points, wider pavements, and clearly marked zebra crossings to mitigate the risk of untimely deaths," he added.
Abdul Wadud, coordinator of the BIGRS, said safety for pedestrians and motorcyclists must be ensured through infrastructure changes at high-risk spots and proper law enforcement.
He said a joint drive by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police and DNCC is clearing illegal footpath encroachments.
Aminul Islam Sujon of Vital Strategies said road deaths are not mere statistics but lifelong loss, stressing stronger public awareness on safe road use and controlled speeds.
Experts at the event, including representatives from the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) and BRTC, stressed that infrastructural changes must be paired with strict enforcement of the Road Transport Act to protect vulnerable road users.
