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]]>Sylhet city, aggravating city traffic congestion.
The city dwellers have alleged that more than 50 such parking lots for cars, microbuses, CNG-run auto-rickshaws, rickshaws, battery-run three-wheelers and other vehicles have been set up illegally at across the city, narrowing the roads in the absence of supervision by the authorities concerned.
Illegal parking lots have been set up along the road near Government Alia Madrassah, in front of Nagar Bhaban and Raja GC High School at Bandarbazar, Shaheed Shamsuddin Medical Hospital, civil surgeon office and Bholananda Night School at Chowhatta Point, Court Point, Surma Point, Taltala, Jallarpar, Mirza Jangal, Mirer Maidan, Madhu Shaheed, Sheikhghat, Kazirbazar, Subidbazar, Madina Market, Ambarkhana, Lechubagan, Chowkidekhi, Darshan Deuri, Naiorpul, Dhopadighir Uttarpar, Shipganj, Tilagar, Mendibag, Kadamtali Point, Humayun Rashid Square, Babna Point, Bhartakhola and Chandirpul in the city.
‘Haphazard parking at key points is one of the main reasons behind the persisting traffic congestion in the city that keeps the commuters stranded on the streets for hours,’ Shamim Ahmed, a businessman of the city’s Bandarbazar, alleged.
Drivers of vehicles, including cars, microbuses, auto-rickshaws, battery-run three-wheelers and rickshaws, however, blamed the crisis of authorised parking spaces in the city which forced them to park their respective vehicles along the roads.
‘We cannot park our vehicles free of charge; we have to pay regularly to the stand manager for this,’ said a car driver, Mashuk Miah, who used to park his vehicle in front of the civil surgeon office at Chowhatta.
Chowhatta Microbus Stand Committee president Arun Devnath claimed that they had permission for parking five vehicles along the roadside in front of the civil surgeon office.
Being asked if he had any document for that, he, however, admitted that they have no evidence in support of the claim.
Ambarkhana auto-rickshaw stand manager Suyeb Ahmad said the district auto-rickshaw workers’ union recognises their association, though they had no permission issued by the Sylhet City Corporation.
Being contacted, SCC chief executive engineer Nur Azizur Rahman told New Age that the city corporation authorities, considering the need of the city people during the immediate past army-backed interim government had given a verbal permission for parking the highest five vehicles at a time at several spots, including Court Point and Chowhatta.
‘The vehicle drivers cashing in on the scope have set up parking lots here and there which should be checked immediately,’ he added.
Sylhet Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner (traffic) Aminul Islam told New Age that they already had taken steps to stop unauthorised parking to ease the traffic movement, especially in the city centre.
‘But the initiative is not going on very smoothly because of various constraints,’ the police officer said, stressing concerted efforts by the SCC, SMP and district administration to address the problem.
-With New Age input
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Dhaka Metropolitan Police has started using wheel clamps to lock illegally parked vehicles and ensure that they are towed away.“We have procured 100 wheel clamps, which four divisions of traffic will use to tow away more illegally parked vehicles from a certain area,” said DMP traffic Chief
Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman.
The use of clamps has started on March 11.
He added that no additional charge would be imposed for the clamps.
Traffic sources said for illegal parking an official can fine only Tk 200 irrespective of vehicle type. However, towing charge differs with vehicle type. For cars,
trucks and buses it is Tk 1,200 and motorbikes and CNG-run auto rickshaws Tk 1,000.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Khandaker Nazmul Hasan of traffic south division earlier this month said, “We have completed training of traffic personnel on how to use the
wheel clamps.”
Mahbubur Rahman, also joint commissioner (traffic), said they use tow trucks only to scare off those who have parked illegally since if one is towed in an area, the
rest move away. So, cars illegally parked have plenty of time to go away and avert penalty for breaking the law.
“A traffic police team equipped with wheel clamps will cordon off a certain spot, and will set wheel clamps to vehicles parked illegally,” he said, adding that a tow
truck will then complete the towing of all vehicles one by one.
Illegal parking goes on unabated as understaffed and ill-equipped traffic wing of Dhaka Metropolitan Police could not contain the menace, which clogs or narrows down
streets of the capital.
The four traffic divisions of DMP have only four government tow trucks and 19 private ones which on average could tow only 120 vehicles a day leaving several thousand
parking offenders scot-free.
Traffic Chief Mahbubur Rahman said, “There are only two impoundage for keeping towed vehicles in the capital and it takes hours for a tow truck to complete a tow and
return to the scene, giving scope for parking offenders to escape.”
DC Nazmul Hasan said only a traffic sergeant riding a motorbike keeps vigil on a certain stretch of street covering several intersections to prevent illegal parking.
Only 10 sergeants are deployed in the area under traffic south, which is the largest among the four traffic divisions in the capital, he said.
Several high officials of traffic wing, which have around 3,800 personnel, said almost all traffic policemen remain busy controlling traffic movements at intersections
and it is tough for the rest to contain illegal parking.
Anyone could see that illegally parked vehicles sometimes occupy two-thirds of a street leaving aside just one lane for moving vehicles, he said. This is seen usually
in front of markets, academic institutions, government or non government offices.
Even on Abdul Gani Road in front of Bangladesh Secretariat, where ministers and secretaries go to work, vehicles are kept parked in more than one row, nearly blocking
the busy thoroughfare.
A high official of traffic wing said to address the issue of parking on roads effectively, the government should increase the number of wheel clamps and tow trucks
being used and impose higher fines.
Courtesy of The Daily Star
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]]>Illegal parking on city roads, reckless driving, lack of proper laws and weak execution of the existing ones cause traffic congestion in the capital city of Dhaka, said traffic management experts.
Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman, Joint Commissioner (Traffic), Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said the existing law allows the owners of illegally parked vehicles to get away with a fine of just Tk. 200. “If we tow away those vehicles, they’ll stop illegal parking,” he asserted.
“Now, we use only wreckers to create panic among those who have parked illegally. If one car is towed away, the rest will immediately move,” Rahman said, adding that roads are clogged with illegally parked vehicles, blocking traffic movement.
From Banglamotor to Moghbazar and Mouchak to Moghbazar, vehicles are seen parked on either side of the road, occupying at least two-thirds of the thoroughfare.
In front of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Bhaban to Hotel Sonargaon, private cars, microbuses and staff buses of some government offices are seen parked illegally.
The general secretary of Bangladesh Tours, Anisur Rahman, told The Independent: “We don’t have any parking place in front of our office, so we park our vehicles on the footpath, although we know it is illegal.”
Dhaka Metropolitan Police sources said around 3,600 personnel of the traffic wing mainly control traffic movement at intersections, and they have little time to take action against illegal parking at other places in the city.
A traffic official deployed at the Paltan Intersection, told The Independent: “We, five traffic personnel, are deployed at the intersections for maintaining signals, and a traffic sergeant monitors the area.”
If any of them leaves the intersection for a while, chaos is created leading to accidents. So, he argues, it is quite impossible for them to check illegal parking away from the intersections.
A senior DMP official said the traffic department neither has adequate manpower, nor logistical support to solve the parking problem.
Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) sources said owing to lack of staff, they failed to ensure parking space at some buildings as per RAJUK approved plan.
In many cases, on completion of the highrises, the owners have built commercial centres on designated parking spaces and at basements.
An authorised official of RAJUK, referring to almost all the buildings on Sonargaon Road at Kataban, said several shops have been set up at the parking spaces, while the basements are being used as storerooms.
As per the new National Building Act of 2008, RAJUK has to issue occupancy certificates to the owners after inspecting parking management of the buildings. “No building owner is supposed to get any utility service connection without obtaining the certificate,” the official added.
Had the authorities taken steps as per the law, most city roads would have been free from illegal parking, he added.
-With The Independent input
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