Lack of adequate parking spaces, ignorance and violation of traffic rules and a growing number of vehicles hitting the roads are worsening the traffic congestion in Dhaka city’s roads.
Due to insufficient space to park vehicles, people quite often park their cars on the roadside, choking narrow roads and creating difficulties for traffic to move along. Car sometimes even park on pavements creating problems for pedestrians Experts say the only long-term solution is reducing dependence on cars and improving the quality and quantity of the public transport service.
Illegal parking of cars at roadsides take place mainly in Motijhil, Bangabandhu Avenue, Gulistan area, Old Dhaka, Moghbazar, Malibagh, Science Laboratory, Green Road, Jatrabari, Sayedabad and Mohakhali, parts of Dikusha area, Shyamoli, New Market, Eskaton Road, Dhanmondi, Banani, Gulshan Avenue and Kamal Ataturk Avenue.
Parked cars particularly cause problems in front of shopping malls, high-rise buildings, near private universities, schools, medical and diagnostic centers, restaurants and chain shops and other commercial establishments.
Most commercial establishments in the capital have either no or limited parking facilities.
‘We often find that traffic congestion is the result of the way cars are parked on our roads,’ said Mozammel Haque, driver of a route 36 (B) bus.
He said that since the number of the cars was increasing, either the establishments should make more parking spaces available or the government should take steps to reduce the number of private cars.
In 2009, according to BRTA, 80 per cent of all cars were registered in Dhaka – 17,654 out of 21,461.
In 2004 there were only 5,633 registered cars in Dhaka, one third of the current level.
Pedestrian Dipankar Bhoumik, an employee of a private farm at Eskaton Road in the city, observed that, because of the shortage of parking lots, the cars often park on pavements.
‘Cars often are parked occupying the footpaths and obstructing pedestrian movement,’ he said. ‘Only strong action by the law enforcers can reduce roadside car parking.’
Abdul Alim, a car driver who had kept his car parked in front of a multi-storied building in Topkhana Road said, ‘I have parked the car at the roadside as there is no adequate parking spaces here.’
He accepted that parking hindered flow of traffic but he was unaware that it was an offence as he kept the car ‘at a side of the road’.
Assistant professor of urban and regional planning department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Sumon Kumar Mitra, stressed that the use of cars must be discouraged and a quality public transport system should be established.
He said that Rapid Bus Transit should be introduced so that passengers could reach their destinations on time.
The government should increase tax on cars, introduce road pricing, ban any kind of on-street car parking and fix hour-based rents for off street parking, he said.
‘The government should provide adequate technical training to the traffic law enforcers and revise their salaries,’ the assistant professor said, adding that the laws should be enforced strictly.
Md Kamal Hossain, Dhaka Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner (traffic), talking to New Age, said that the police do enforce the existing rules.
However he said that the fine for parking cars violating the rules is only Tk 250 and that one line car parking is allowed in Motijheel and Dilkusha areas.
Besides, he said, the traffic department had manpower crisis to manage the whole system properly.
