Satrasta-Tejgaon Road: Will it finally be free of congestion?
In its latest effort to free the capital's Satrasta-Tejgaon road from congestion, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) is setting up separate lanes for rickshaws by installing dividers.
However, experts doubt whether this will change anything, as the main issue this road suffers from is scores of illegally parked trucks and pick-up vans. These vehicles occupy around half the road's width, restricting traffic movement every day.
In December 2015, then-mayor Annisul Huq cleared the road of these vehicles, overcoming strong opposition from transport workers. The road has thus become an embodiment of the late mayor's tireless efforts to bring down traffic congestion.
But the road, named Annisul Huq Road following his death in 2017, is now suffering from the same problem.
Although there is a truck stand in the area, it is too small to house the enormous number of vehicles. The authorities concerned have not taken any concrete action for a sustainable parking solution for the vehicles, which Annisul had pledged.
DNCC started setting up the rickshaw lanes this month. During a recent visit, this newspaper found workers installing dividers on both sides of the road, from the Satrasta intersection to Tejgaon railway crossing.
Khokon Uddin, who was supervising the construction work, said, "We are installing dividers on both sides to introduce separate lanes only for rickshaws. This will also help free up the footpaths for pedestrians."
Talking to this newspaper, rickshaw-puller Al Amin Hossain said, "Separate lanes will help us pull rickshaws but they may also slow down rickshaw movement, as the lanes seem a bit narrow."
Asked if it is possible to pull a rickshaw through the lanes, he said each of the lanes is around 6 feet wide, which should be enough.
But how will this initiative solve the illegal-parking issue?
Acknowledging the problem, pick-up driver Khalil Hossain said the parked vehicles obstruct both pedestrian and traffic movement. "But we don't have any other space to park."
Around a dozen vehicle owners and drivers echoed the same.
Contacted, Abdul Motaleb, general secretary of Bangladesh Truck Covered Van Transport Agency Owners Association, said, "We park our vehicles here because we don't have any space to park."
"Rickshaw lanes are commendable, but the authorities should arrange for a parking space," he said.
Contacted, Adil Mohammad Khan, former general secretary of Bangladesh Institute of Planners, said, "It seems to be a good initiative, but the result will not be that fruitful until they evict trucks or other vehicles."
While the new lanes will facilitate rickshaws, they will make the whole road narrower if the authorities do not evict the trucks, ultimately restricting overall traffic movement, he said.
"The stand there cannot house the overwhelming number of trucks. So, it is an urban-planning failure, as the city corporation could not introduce alternative parking space after all this time," Adil said.
He suggested building multi-storey parking spaces to house all the vehicles.
Contacted, DNCC spokesperson Mokbul Hossain said the authorities usually free the roads of illegally parked vehicles through drives. But these vehicles occupy the spots again once the drive ends.
Once the rickshaw lanes are in place, other vehicles won't be able to park there, he added. However, when asked where the trucks will go or park, he could not provide a direct answer.
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