WE all know that a large part of the choking gridlocks we face each day is due to the illegal parking of buses, trucks and cars. Buses stop in the middle of streets to take on extra passengers instead of designated bus stops. Malls, banks, hospitals and other establishments are built without car parking. Very little has been done to alleviate the problem.

Now the two city corporations and Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) – all bodies responsible for traffic control and parking – are blaming each other for the chaotic traffic situation.

The city corporations say that the DMP's Traffic department is supposed to enforce the relevant traffic laws while the Traffic Department says it is the DCCs responsibility to allot parking spaces. Both parties have valid points but the question is: Why are they not working together to find a sustainable solution?

Illegal parking, say experts, is due to lack of monitoring, inadequate parking facilities and sloppy traffic management. Obviously none of the bodies concerned are doing their job efficiently. This includes Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (Rajuk) which should be monitoring whether multi-storied buildings being constructed have proper parking facilities.

The DCCs must designate spaces for on-street parking and the Traffic Department must penalize illegal parking, especially when there are large parking lots available left unused. Metered parking can also be introduced. 

In addition the practice of vehicles plying on the wrong side of the road – something VIPs blatantly do and emulated by others, must be stopped. Unless government high-ups follow the traffic rules themselves and until the DCCs, DMP and Rajuk work in unison, effectively, efficiently and ethically, the debilitating traffic crisis will never be solved.