Nuisance parking, seized vehicles block most of Mohammadpur Ring Road
Adabor police said they have to keep the seized vehicles on the road in front of the station as they have no allotted dumping ground
Illegal parking and dumping of vehicles impounded by Adabor Police Station are occupying most of Mohammadpur Ring Road, causing gridlocks and impeding the movement of pedestrians.
According to locals, the Ring Road, stretching from Shyamoli Square to Shia Jame Masjid intersection, used to be in a dilapidated condition.
The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) recently developed it, but pedestrians and commuters are not getting the benefits of the improved road due to the issues.
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The DNCC said it has been conducting mobile court drives against illegal parking regularly, but it remains unresolved.
On the other hand, Adabor Police Station is located in a rented building along this road. The police authorities said they have to keep the seized vehicles in front of the station as they have no allotted dumping ground. Besides, the building has no parking facility.
Mohammadpur area is inhabited by upper, middle, and lower-middle class people. Since the 1980s, the area has been gaining importance for various reasons.
Along with luxurious buildings, various shops, banks, insurance offices, educational institutions, clinics, hospitals, small and big shopping malls, fast-food shops, and restaurants have sprung up here.
With a growing population, the number of vehicles in the area has also increased day by day. The Ring Road is one of the vital roads in Mohammadpur. Despite being sufficiently wide, the road faces frequent gridlocks.
Rehana Begum, a resident of Mohammadpur, told TBS, "The Ring Road has been developed recently, but we still cannot walk comfortably due to various shops and obstacles on the sidewalks."
"Nearly half of the street is occupied by parked vehicles. Sometimes, we have to get stuck in traffic for 15/20 minutes because some buses pick up passengers by blocking the road," she added.
Tanib Hasan, a private university student, told TBS, "Traffic congestion is a daily occurrence in Mohammadpur. The bus drivers do not obey traffic rules. Illegal parking in front of the buildings is also a contributor to the traffic chaos."
A recent tour of the Ring Road area revealed the presence of a number of shopping centers and educational institutions, including Tokyo Square, Infinity Mega Mall, and Suchona Community Center, which do not have adequate parking facilities.
As a result, most of the cars and motorcycles that come to these places are parked on the road. But the interesting fact is that there are "No parking" signs in front of almost all the buildings.
At least 30 buses of two transport companies- Bhuiyan Paribahan and Alif Paribahan -are parked in front of Japan Garden City, occupying about two thirds of the road. The pick-up and drop-off activities of these buses continue till night.
Hasmat Ali, a driver of Bhuiyan Paribahan, told TBS, "We have a bus stop here. Some 20-25 buses of Bhuiyan Paribahan are always parked in front of Tokyo Square till 11pm."
"I heard the Paribahan owner bought the space for the bus stop. So, we don't have to pay any parking fee," the bus driver added.
Rubel, a driver of Alif Paribahan, told TBS, "I have to make brief stopovers on the trip to pick up passengers. Besides, sometimes I have to block other buses behind me so that they cannot get the passengers before me, which might create light traffic congestion on the road."
Motakabbir Ahmed, regional executive officer of Region-5 under the Dhaka North City Corporation, told TBS, "We have been conducting regular mobile court drives against illegal parking on the roads. Many people have been fined for this offence but it is impossible to keep a constant watch."
Several rows of dumped buses, trucks, cars and more than 50 motorcycles were seen on the road in front of Adabor police station.
Kazi Shahiduzzaman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Adabor police station, told TBS, "Since we are a government institution, we have to keep our vehicles on the road. There is no other place for us to park our vehicles."
"However, we are trying to move the station from this rented building to another place. The vehicles will then be removed from the road," he said.
On the issue of illegal parking, the OC said police are cracking down on drivers who park their vehicles on the road.
"As there is a bus stop in front of Japan Garden City, some vehicles of Bhuiyan and Alif Paribahan are parked there. But if they occupy the road and create gridlocks then action will be taken, the OC added.
