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The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has proposed extending the deadline for installing manual number plates on the front of motorcycles to December 31 from the previously set November 15, citing difficulties in completing the task within the stipulated time.
In a note submitted for consideration by the BRTA chairman, the authority said installing front number plates on such a large number of motorcycles within the existing deadline would be extremely challenging.
Bangladesh has around 6.8 million registered motor vehicles, including approximately five million motorcycles, accounting for nearly 74% of the total, according to the note.
The BRTA said motorcycle owners had expressed various opinions and concerns about the requirement in the media, while the issue had also generated discussions on social media. Considering these factors, it requested that the deadline be extended by around six weeks.
However, the extension remains a proposal and has not yet been confirmed.
Earlier, a BRTA public notice set November 15 as the deadline for displaying manual number plates on the front of motorcycles.
The notice cited the Road Transport Act 2018 and the Road Transport Rules 2022, which require motorcycles to display their registration numbers on approved, high-quality retro-reflective metal plates with radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology at the rear. The authority has also decided to require registration numbers to be displayed at the front.
Under the guidelines, front number plates for scooters must measure 200 millimetres in length and 100 millimetres in width. For other motorcycles, the plates must be 285 millimetres long and 50 millimetres wide. In both cases, letters and numerals must be at least 20 millimetres high.
The plates must be made of stainless steel or aluminium, with Bengali letters and numerals in black against a white background. Decorative elements and designs are prohibited. For motorcycles other than scooters, the registration number may be displayed in a single horizontal line.
Initially, motorcycle owners have been instructed to install the front plates themselves, provided they comply with the specified requirements. The earlier notice also warned that legal action could be taken against owners who failed to meet the deadline.
The proposed extension is intended to give motorcycle owners more time to comply with the new requirement.
