Easy bikes are roaming on Burichong road, accidents are increasing

Today’s children are tomorrow’s future. At the age when the child will be in the mother’s lap or in school with a book and pen. At that age, many children are involved in risky professions like driving. In 8 Unions of Burichong Upazila of Comilla, three-wheeler auto-rickshaws and easy bikes are run by children in different areas.

Three-wheeled autorickshaws and easybikes roam the unpaved roads of each union of the upazila. And these are run by children and teenagers. Without training, children are responsible for driving these vehicles and almost cause accidents. Starting from rural roads, all roads and highways are now occupied by autorickshaws and easybikes.

These three-wheeled autos, EasyBay, are driving on the road without knowing any rules and regulations. Easybikes are constantly creating unbearable traffic jams. Besides, most of the drivers are minors who are driving these autos and easybikes without education and training. As a result, accidents often occur.

On the surface, it can be seen that easy bikes are roaming from the upazila headquarters to the village areas and these are being driven by children. Parking in the middle of the road is causing congestion everywhere due to inefficient parking. Pedestrians complain that three-wheeler autos and easybike drivers plying in the upazila thana city are causing various accidents and traffic jams while driving easybikes on the road without any regard for rules. Again, he wants to go through the good part avoiding the broken part of the road. As a result, they often cross the road.

5 people including college, madrasa students and children lost their lives in 15 road accidents in the upazila in the last two months.

Traffic jams and accidents are a daily occurrence for easybike drivers. In such a situation, the students of schools, colleges, madrasas are suffering at the right time. Pedestrians complain that easybike drivers park everywhere and cause traffic jams. A 10 minute journey sometimes takes 20 minutes or an hour.

It is known that among those who are driving easybikes, there are teenagers under the age of 12-14. New easybikes are constantly being put on the road. Although the upazila administration authorities allow these easybikes to run only in Sadar and surrounding areas, they carry passengers on the highway at high speed, keeping pace with vehicles. Some of these easybike drivers are farm laborers or used to drive rickshaw vans and some are teenagers. 80 percent of them do not know how to ride easybikes on the road. Still, they are regularly driving these vehicles with 6/7 passengers at high speed from upazila headquarters to village areas everywhere.

Easybike driver Rubel Hossain said that he has been driving Easybike for five years to support his family of five. But he admits that the rate at which new easybikes are hitting the roads every day is creating traffic jams. He complained that the new easy bike drivers do not follow the rules and regulations, they are busy competing with each other to see how much money they can earn, and accidents are constantly increasing due to this.

Shopkeeper of Burichong Sadar. Alleged Yusuf, all these drivers have no training and as a result, the movement of vehicles coming from the side of the road is obstructed and traffic jams are created. However, the suffering is increasing due to deliberate traffic jams by the drivers.

No. 2 Bakshimul Union Parishad Chairman Haji Md. Abdul Karim said – We are sitting with the president of the three-wheeler auto and easybike association to ensure that minors cannot drive easybikes.

Burichong Upazila District Officer Sahida Akhtar said that minor children and teenagers will not be allowed to drive any type of vehicle. Precautionary miking is done. Necessary measures will be taken by conducting regular raids.

ARS