Motorcycle speed limits in Bangladesh

Speed limit for motorcycles, by road

• Expressway (four or six lanes, divided, with service lanes)60 km/hcar 80
• National highway, category A (four or six lanes, divided)50 km/hcar 80
• National highway, category B, and regional highway (two lanes, undivided)50 km/hcar 70
• District road50 km/hcar 60
• Highway where it runs through a city corporation, municipality or district town30 km/hcar 40
• Other roads inside a city corporation, municipality or district town30 km/hcar 40
• Upazila road30 km/hcar 40
• Primary urban road (two lanes, undivided)30 km/hcar 40
• Narrow or shared urban road20 km/hcar 30
• Rural road30 km/hcar 30

Source: BRTA guideline, section 2. Signs posted on a road (at bends, bridges, level crossings, junctions, markets, schools, hospitals) apply where they are lower.

What is the bike speed limit in Dhaka?

30 km/h. That covers every road inside a city corporation, municipality or district town, including national and regional highways where they pass through one. On narrow or shared urban roads it is 20 km/h. Cars get 40 km/h on the same roads.

Is the highway limit for bikes 50 or 60 km/h?

50 km/h on national highways, regional highways and district roads; 60 km/h only on expressways. You will find 60 km/h for highways in some reports: Dhaka Tribune wrote that figure on 8 May 2024, but it described the draft BRTA had sent to the ministry. The guideline BRTA issued says 50, and so did Daily Observer (8 May 2024) and The Business Standard (10 May 2024). When the two disagree, go by the guideline and the signs on the road.

Near schools, hospitals and markets, and in bad weather

Next to schools, religious buildings, hospitals, housing and haats, the local authority or road builder sets the limit, and it can never be above 40 km/h on a national highway or 30 km/h on a regional highway. The limits in the table are for normal conditions only: in storms, harsh sun, heavy rain or fog you must ride at a speed you can control, and stop if you cannot see ahead (guideline 3.2 and 3.4).

What is the fine for speeding?

Up to ৳10,000, up to 3 months in jail, or both, and 1 point off your licence (Road Transport Act 2018, s.44 and s.87). A crash that causes loss of life or property through speeding carries more (s.98). BRTA said in May 2024 that enforcement would be gradual: publicity first, mobile courts and police speed guns meanwhile (TBS, 10 May 2024). Since 18 Aug 2026 Highway Police cameras also catch speeding on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway: see e-fines and fake SMS.

Speed limit on the Padma Bridge

Motorcycles were banned from the bridge in June 2022 and allowed back from 20 April 2023, in the service lane at up to 60 km/h (Prothom Alo, 18 Apr 2023). Follow the signs at the toll plaza, which may have changed since.