Rickshaw puller Md Murad from Nakhalpara expressed his frustration while plying the capital’s Mayor Annisul Huq Road as it is full of parked trucks, pickups, and covered vans leading to traffic congestions.

‘This road has become a daily struggle for us. Using this road is time consuming because of the traffic congestion created due to the illegal parking on the road,’ said Murad.

Like Murad, many rickshaw pullers, other vehicle users and pedestrians expressed their woes over using the road.

Ferdous Mondal, a rider of ride sharing service Uber, said that trucks, pickups and covered vans, parked on both sides of the road illegally, have narrowed the road.

‘I have to use the road as it is one of the major thoroughfares connecting many areas,’ said Ferdous.

Many commuters found to be remembering the late Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Annisul Huq as he successfully cleared the road from encroachment by the vehicles despite violent protests by truck owners in December, 2015.

Although evicted by the late mayor, the truck and covered van owners have reoccupied the road bringing down late mayor’s tireless efforts to ease traffic congestion for pedestrians and locals.

Also, the road has become narrower due to the two additional rickshaw lanes initiated by the DNCC mayor Atiqul Islam in 2023.

Many commuters, including students and staff of government and private offices, use the road connecting Tejgaon, Farmgate and Karwan Bazar with Mohakhali, Banani, Gulshan and Niketon.

Mahmud Hasan, a 2nd-year student at Govt Science College near Farmgate, said that he walked the road most of the time instead of taking any vehicles on the road to avoid traffic congestion.

‘When my vehicle gets stuck in a traffic jam on the road, I just start to walk. But it is also difficult to walk on the roadside due to the presence of so many trucks,’ said Mahmud.

When asked, truck drivers expressed their helplessness over the matter and urged DNCC to provide parking space options.

They asked, ‘Where can we park our vehicles if there is no other place to park?’

Hossain Ahmed Majumder, general secretary of Bangladesh Truck Covered Van Transport Agency Owners Association, said that the drivers were forced to park their vehicles on the road as there was no parking option.

‘If the DNCC does not provide a permanent parking arrangement, the problem will continue,’ added Hossain.

DNCC spokesperson Mukbul Hossain said that when DNCC officials went to inspect the road, the trucks were removed from the road but they return after the inspection.

‘DNCC is set to construct a permanent multi-storey truck stand for parking the vehicles on a five acre land near the present illegal parking location,’ said Mukbul.

He hoped that the problem would be solved permanently after the construction of the truck stand.

However, experts criticised DNCC for its inability to enforce parking laws and provide alternative parking options for so many years.

The executive director of the Institute for Planning and Development, Adil Mohammad Khan, told New Age that DNCC should assure the vehicle owners of a permanent truck stand.

He said that DNCC should provide a specific place as a temporary arrangement for parking the vehicles until the permanent truck stand got ready.

‘DNCC should sit for discussions with vehicle owners and drivers to find a solution that accommodates the needs of all stakeholders,’ said Adil.