The overbridge at the CRP Bus Stand in Savar was built with a promise of access and dignity. It was meant for people who struggle to move, like wheelchair users, the elderly and those injured at CRP itself, people relearning how to walk.
But today, the bridge tells a different story. Motorbikes climb its ramps with ease. Engines roar where silence was intended. Pedestrians pause, press themselves against railings, and wait. This is not an occasional misuse. It has become a routine and normalised.
Bikers ride up the overbridge as if it were a shortcut. As if it were a service road, and human vulnerability were an inconvenience. A woman holding a child steps aside. An elderly man freezes mid-step. A person with a limp turns back, defeated.
The bridge narrows with every passing bike, not in width, but in purpose. CRP is not just another bus stop. It is a centre for rehabilitation. People here are healing from spinal injuries, amputations, paralysis and more complicated health hazards. Every ramp, every railing, every inch of access matters.
Yet bikes occupy that space without hesitation. No guilt or fear of consequences. Why wouldn’t they? There is no visible enforcement. No barriers or fines. No one is telling them to stop. So, the bridge becomes hostile due to neglect. What was meant to reduce suffering now adds to it.
What was meant to empower now intimidates. This is not just about traffic rules. It is about whose movement matters. When a biker uses that bridge, they save a minute. When a disabled person avoids it, they lose independence. That trade-off is quietly accepted every day.
We talk about inclusive cities, celebrate infrastructure projects, and cut ribbons. But inclusion fails in the details, in enforcement, in empathy.
An overbridge for the physically challenged cannot survive on intention alone. It needs protection, clear signage, physical barriers, strict penalties and most of all, it needs respect. Until then, the green bridge at CRP will stand as a symbol. Not of access but of how easily the vulnerable are pushed aside.
