Dhaka city does not have adequate parking space for the growing number of vehicles. The increasing number of buses, trucks, private vehicles, motorcycles and some other vehicles find it challenging to park their vehicles in the city, especially during business hours.
Mostly bus and truck owners park illegally enforcing their political muscle power defying the traffic rules. Such haphazard parking always creates traffic jams. And as a result, bout 80 percent of cars in the city are forced to park anywhere.
Under the new traffic law fines for illegal parking will increase manifold. However, the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha( Rajuk) and City Corporation claim they are trying their best to improve the situation.
Professor of Urban and Regional Planning Department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) Sarwar Jahan said, “Illegal parking is everywhere.”
Rajuk could not confirm 100 percent parking arrangements in residential and commercial buildings of Dhaka. Likewise, two city corporations could not arrange parking lots for citizens. So people are parking as per their wish, he added. According to a research report published by the US-based organization Democracy International (DI), six percent of people driving private cars occupy 76 percent of Dhaka roads.
Urban experts stated that private vehicles occupy 60 to 65 percent of total roads. Public transport occupies 6 to 8 percent. The rest of the road is occupied by various illegal occupants.
BUET Assistant Professor Kazi Saifun Newaz, said, “Private cars occupy more than half the space of the road, Although the punishment for parking is huge, but parking lots have not been increased yet by the authorities concerned”.
Parking problem should be resolved. City building owners do not provide any parking space under their buildings. They don’t follow building code, he added.
Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) is taking public opinion with stakeholders to finalize a draft policy regarding parking.
The fee will be calculated according to the type of parking. If the policy is approved then Dhaka, Narayanganj, Manikganj, Gazipur, and Narsingdi districts will be covered.
The DTCA estimates that the number of private cars will be reduced if the policy is implemented.
Regarding parking policy, DTCA Executive Director Khandaker Rakibur Rahman said that every developed city has a parking policy that we do not have.
Traffic flow is increasing due to vehicle pressure and lack of designated parking space. A policy has been drafted to address this problem which will be finalized soon, he added.