THE photograph that New Age published on April 23 shows long-route buses parked in multiple rows along the busy road passing by the Mahakhali inter-district bus terminal, reducing the effective carriageway to a narrow passage for moving vehicles. The photograph depicts what has effectively become a routine arrangement rather than an exceptional occurrence, where buses remain stationed on the roadside even outside peak boarding hours. In several instances, buses are lined up three-deep along one side of the road while other vehicles try to pass through the remaining lanes, often resulting in slow-moving traffic and prolonged congestion. Passengers boarding and alighting directly from roadside positions further interrupt the traffic, especially in the evening and at night when the number of inter-district buses increases. Recent reports have showed similar conditions not only at Mahakhali but also around Saidabad and Gabtali, where illegal counters and dispersed boarding points extend congestion into surrounding areas such as Tejgaon, Gulistan and Jatrabari. Despite a public notice issued by the city police early April, allowing seven working days to remove illegal counters and halt unauthorised boarding and subsequent eviction drives by the Dhaka’s south city authorities that identified at least 240 such counters near Saidabad, the evidence suggests that roadside parking and associated congestion continue largely apace.
The persistence of this situation indicates that the problem is not limited to non-compliance but is rooted in structural gaps between policy decisions and their execution. Transport planning frameworks have for long acknowledged that Dhaka’s inter-district bus terminals lack the capacity to accommodate the high number of buses operating daily, leading operators to rely on roadside space for parking and passenger handling. Proposals under the Strategic Transport Plan and its revised versions have recommended terminal relocation to peripheral locations such as Gazipur, Bhulta, Kanchpur, Jhilmil, Hemayetpur and Ashulia, alongside converting inner-city to terminals for city bus use. The plans, however, remain largely on paper despite repeated official assurances that preparatory work has been completed. In the absence of functional alternatives, enforcement measures such as eviction drives or temporary restrictions tend to displace buses without providing viable parking or operational solutions which results in their return to the same corridors. Bus owners have pointed out the lack of designated depots and suggested rotational systems or multi-storey parking facilities. Yet, the measures have not progressed beyond discussion.
The authorities should move beyond intermittent enforcement and implement time-bound relocation supported by designated parking facilities and strict control of roadside boarding. Without ensuring functional alternatives for operators, directives will continue to provide for only temporary relief. Coordinated action between transport agencies, city authorities and the law enforcement agencies is essential to restore discipline to critical urban corridors.
