Rickshaws create severe congestions in Motijheel area especially during office rush hour in the morning and afternoon. The photo was taken yesterday afternoon.Photo: STAR

A journey towards downtown Motijheel during peak hours from anywhere seems a nightmare as traffic gridlock has become an irreversible predicament.
Urban experts apprehend traffic system in the business hub will collapse in near future if immediate measures are not taken considering the increasing number of people as well as vehicles.
In addition to huge waste of fuel and man-hour for the gridlock, the city commuters have to count extra money as drivers of taxicabs, CNG-run three-wheelers and rickshaw-pullers charge almost double to go there, if anyone agrees to go.
Illegal parking of hundreds of vehicles on the roads, movement of slow-moving rickshaws, and occupying of walkways by street hawkers and shop owners are the reasons behind traffic congestion.
Many furniture shops in nearby Fakirer Pool even display their products on the walkways.
As there is no foot-over bridge in the business hub, a large number of people cross the roads indiscriminately, further slowing down the traffic. Traffic policemen say a foot-over bridge is a must near Shapla Chattar and they have repeatedly informed the matter to higher authorities in vain.
The loss of man-hour and wastage of huge fuel have forced many big business houses to shift offices from Motijheel, businesses say.
"As people and vehicles have increased to a great number but roads remain the same, more than 50 percent of the roads is occupied by parked cars," urban expert and honorary chairman of Centre for Urban Studies Prof Nazrul Islam told The Daily Star.
He said it will take 15-20 years to construct parking facilities, but in the meantime traffic congestion will turn so fearsome that people won't dare go to Motijheel by their private vehicles.
Prof Nazrul said since the inception of DIT there were rules for keeping enough carparks in buildings, but almost everybody violated the rules.
"It happened as the law enforcement authorities were either not powerful or unskilled," Prof Nazrul said.
As the month of Ramadan began, traffic situation has worsened further causing serious sufferings to commuters visiting the business hub.
"It takes me about two hours to go to my Motijheel office from Mirpur every day since the first day of Ramadan," says insurance company executive Abul Kalam Azad.
He adds the distance is just around 16 kilometres and it takes around same time to return home after office.
Referring to his everyday sufferings, he says, "It's simply terrible to sit in a overcrowded bus in such hot and humid weather amid nagging traffic jam."
The traffic situation is increasingly deteriorating in the last 10 years, but no tangible steps were taken to contain it, observes businessman Mohammad Saifullah, who is travelling to Motijheel for the last 30 years.
Experts, traffic policemen and businesspeople say only multi-storey carparks can ease the situation.
The 37-storey under-construction City Centre in Motijheel would have parking facilities for 500 vehicles on its 10 floors considering the problem. But business people believe once City Centre is completed, its carpark will be occupied by the vehicles of different offices to be housed in the building.
Additional Executive Director of Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB) Dr Salehuddin said the government has a plan to construct a multi-storey building for car parking near Jibon Bima Bhaban.
He however could not say when the work will start.
During a visit to Motijheel, Paltan and Fakirer Pool on Wednesday, many cars and microbuses were found parked in double lines on both sides of the road stretching from Dainik Bangla intersection to PDB office.
The picture is the same in Dilkusha and Naya Paltan, though parking in one line on both sides of the road is authorised.
Traffic policemen say vehicular movement almost comes to a standstill for one hour before the office closing as over 100 buses remain parked on the roads in Motijheel to take government staffs home.
Speaking anonymously, a traffic sergeant said, "Being a sergeant, I cannot ask the parked vehicles to go away as most of those belong to top executives and government officials."
The authorities allow hawkers to sit on footpaths keeping space for pedestrians during Ramadan, but the hawkers occupy most parts of the walkways compelling people to walk on the roads.