Most buildings over six-storied in the city do not provide adequate parking facilities, which has been identified as one of the main reasons for traffic congestion.
A good number of these high-rises are situated in the busy commercial hubs of the city.
In a recent study conducted by Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB), it was found that Motijheel had the second highest number of tall buildings after Ramna. The number of buildings is 98. But it has to cater to the need of more than 300,000 people within its 5.38 square kilometer area. Motijheel therefore has to endure unbearable traffic congestion during day-light hours.
Some 72 high-rises in Motijheel have basement-parking facilities. Six however have no parking space of their own, while 20 have insufficient parking area. According to another study of the DTCB conducted in 2003, around 2000 vehicles arrive during working days at Motijheel and the roadside parking occupy space on main roads for about 800 vehicles.
High-rises with adequate parking facilities also cause traffic congestion, as these buildings are located near road intersections. The Sena Kalyan Bhaban and the Bangladesh Bank are prime examples.
The high-rises in posh urban area including Gulshan and Banani generally have parking facilities but there is not enough space to accommodate all the vehicles.
The DTCB study noted that Ramna area had 112 tall buildings within an area of 9.79 square kilometers with 95 having medium-sized parking spaces. Two did not have parking space and one of them was located right besides the congested Malibagh crossing. No mention had been made in the study regard the rest of the buildings. Vehicles are parked on the road close to the crossing hampering the traffic flow there.
Among 27 high-rises of Mirpur, only one had basement parking, 19 had no parking facilities, while seven had no parking space. Pallabi also depicted a similar picture with on-site parking available in 11 out of its 18 tall buildings.
The nine-storied Rafeen Plaza at Nilkhet-New Market intersection had shops in the basement parking area while the pavement is being used as its car park.
Dhaka Cantonment area had the least number of high-rises and had low population pressure. But eight tall buildings there had no parking facility while two had basement parking.
The Building Construction Act formulated in 1952 and amended in 1996 clearly outlines the ratio between parking space and the size of a building. But the law is often grossly violated.
Urban planners blamed owners and architects of high-rises for ignoring the importance of parking facilities.