Dhaka Elevated Expressway to Enforce Speed Limits with Video Cases Starting 21 February

Summary:

• Video-based enforcement: Dhaka Metropolitan Police will implement automated speeding citations via CCTV footage from 21 February, targeting vehicles exceeding 100 km/h.
• Speed limit revisions: Current limits remain 60 km/h (main road) and 40 km/h (ramps), with proposals to increase to 80 km/h pending Bridge Authority approval.
• Repeat offender penalties: Vehicles with 3+ speeding violations face permanent bans from using the elevated expressway.
• Operational challenges: January data recorded 90 engine failures, 51 tire bursts, and 10 major accidents on the expressway.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police will introduce video-based speeding enforcement on the Dhaka Elevated Expressway starting 21 February, authorities announced Thursday. The move aims to curb rampant speed violations on the 11.5 km roadway that has seen over 170 vehicle-related incidents since January.

Current speed limits remain set at 60 km/h for the main carriageway and 40 km/h for entry/exit ramps, though officials confirmed ongoing discussions with the Bangladesh Bridge Authority to raise the maximum to 80 km/h – the expressway’s original design specification. “We’ll request police prosecution for any vehicle exceeding 100 km/h,” said Captain (retd) Hasib Hasan Khan, traffic security chief at the expressway operator’s Kuril control center.

The automated system uses 24/7 surveillance feeds routed directly to police headquarters, eliminating the need for physical patrols. Repeat offenders face escalating penalties:

• First three violations: Standard traffic fines
• Fourth offense: Permanent expressway access revocation
• All penalties: Linked to vehicle registration databases

January operational data reveals critical safety challenges:

The $1.3 billion infrastructure project, operational since September 2023, carries 35,000 vehicles daily between Airport-Farmgate. Transportation engineers attribute the high mechanical failure rate to extended uphill gradients taxing underpowered vehicles – a design consideration now prompting emergency lane expansion plans.

Source: TBS News