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Lack of parking space triggers chaotic traffic movement

Published : Thursday, 14 November, 2019 at 12:00 AM  Count : 389

Syed Ershad Ahmed

Syed Ershad Ahmed

Inadequate off-street and on-street parking facilities in cities in particular the capital city of Dhaka, are slowing down the vehicular movement and creates a chaotic traffic system. Lax implementation of law, poor traffic management, insincerity of the authorities concerned and lack of awareness among people are contributing to illegal on-street parking.

The residential houses and commercial buildings lack adequate parking facilities resulting in a haphazard and unaligned parking in the roads and other places. It is seen that floor space parking facilities are not being maintained and even in most of the residential houses, guest parking is not allowed. Almost cent per cent of the offices, business entities, hospitals, high rise residential areas, educational institutions and shopping or commercial complex in Dhaka require a large numbers of car parking places, but in reality it is not there as per the minimum necessity.

Vehicles are parked on roads, nearby roads, footpaths and absurdly at many others, which create traffic congestions. The problem goes to its pick during working hours, drop-off, pick-up of students and other professionals that a few minute absurd halt of vehicles also cause a severe traffic, which is added to the slow movement caused by absence of parking facilities.

Over the last decade, efforts were taken by the authorities concerned, including RAJUK , Dhaka Metropolitan Police, city corporations and law enforcing agencies in particular traffic department, but efforts went into vain and rather it is intensifying traffic jam everyday due to increase of vehicular movements.
Here is an analysis of the problem and few solutions to normalize vehicular movements and reduce people sufferings.

In Dhaka, illegal on-street parking is causing chaos and congestion. Due to inadequacy of space, buses, private cars, pick up vans, Rikshaws and other motor vehicles park their cars on streets, under flyovers, footpaths, crossings, buses pick up passengers from unauthorized stations and the most important matter to quote here is renting car parking space to grocery and other super stores.

One can find that parking is happening in violation of law in several parts of the capital city. To name a few, under Mogbazar-Malibag Flyover, Gulshan, Gulistan, , KhilgaonPhulbaria, Dhanmondi, New Market, Motijheel, Jatrabari, Mohakhali, Tejgaon, Pallabi, Mirpur, Agargaon, Azimpur, and Mohammadpur, Banasree and in many other places that is causing major traffic congestion.

RAJUK must ensure that no commercial or residential building plans are approved without adequate parking space and police must cooperate city corporations to take action against illegal parking. More importantly, all the authorities concerned must immediately stop dilly-dallying and take steps to implement plan to turn the inter district bus terminals into city bus terminals and implement the proposed new terminal at Nimtali. Although police taking different measures like filing cases to curb this situation, but situation is yet to be eased.

To solve this ongoing and accelerating problem several multilevel parking spots have been identified and process underway to construct such parking spaces. But to address the problem such initiatives are not enough, as cars and motorcycles are in quite fast rise. On an average, at least 40 new cars are pressed in to service daily in Dhaka. The number for motorcycle is 234. It is impossible to construct parking facilities accordingly.

The solution in true sense lies on introduction of better, decent and efficient public transport system reducing dependency on private vehicles and there is a need for a multi-prong as well as integrated approach to address the problem of car parking in Dhaka.
To curb this unauthorized vehicular movement and parking, my suggestion is to impose high charges or penalty on illegal and unapproved parking and introduce an app-based digital parking service in the capital. People's awareness in abiding by parking rules is a necessity alongside enforcing existing law for overcoming the chaotic traffic and sufferings.

Currently the city corporations do have two multilevel parking spaces, but it is insufficient against growing demand. A good number of multilevel paid parking facilities are needed. In this concept the motor owners after parking their vehicles in multilevel parking lots, they can take a walk to go to their desired destinations. They will be charged for parking their vehicles with adequate security.

But the fact is that there is very little room in Dhaka to construct a number of multilevel parking infrastructures as land is scarce and price is very high. So, parking charge will be quite high ultimately. It is important to keep in mind that there is no piecemeal solution to traffic conundrum. As private cars and motorcycles are associated with door-to-door convenience, adequate numbers of public transports like buses and metro rails can provide better alternatives to cars.

So for integrated approach to address the problem of car parking in Dhaka, high charge for parking and high penalty for unapproved parking will work if there are appropriate alternative. To mitigate this problem the city corporations should arrange multilevel car parking facilities with low charges and it may be needed for devising a policy support of higher penalty option if one parks his/her car in roads instead of parking spaces.
On the other hand apart from building multilevel parking spaces a coordinated effort of city corporations, RAJUK  and Dhaka Metropolitan Police should be there in the capital and the RAJUK  must ensure prior approval for constricting commercial or residential building plans with the construct of adequate car parking facilities.

And it is a necessary to make the inter-district bus terminal into a city bus terminal and also need to relocate the existing inter district bus terminals to other low dense and low traffic movement areas.

I suggest two car parking facilities per 1000 square feet in Office building and four facilities per 1000 square feet in commercial buildings or complex. It is also important to build individual multi-level infrastructure for car parking in different places of the city.

The writer is former president of both American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Bangladesh and Foreign Investors' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
















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