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Wednesday | August 26, 2026 | Dhaka

Vehicles on footpath

Motor vehicles banned on roadside footpaths according to section 67 of DMP Ordinance
 Staff Reporter
 Published: 12:01 AM, 26 August 2026  Updated: 11:34 PM, 25 August 2026
CNG run-autorickshaws motocycles ply on the pedestrians’ footpath due to lack of drivers’ awareness. Such type of impetuous driving often causes tribulations to the general people. The photo was taken from Tejgaon area in the capital on Tuesday.

Footpaths across the capital are increasingly being occupied by vehicles, leaving pedestrians with little choice but to walk alongside moving traffic.

Motorcycles, cars, CNGs and other vehicles are frequently seen using footpaths as shortcuts or parking spaces. What should be a safe passage for pedestrians has, in many places, become an extension of the roadway.

For office workers, students, elderly people and children, the situation creates a daily struggle. Pedestrians forced onto busy streets face the risk of accidents, while traffic congestion becomes even worse as vehicles compete for limited road space.

What does the law say?
Driving motor vehicles on roadside footpaths is not legally permitted in Bangladesh. Section 49(1) of the Road Transport Act, 2018 states: that no motor vehicle may be driven on the footpath adjacent to a road.

There is also a Dhaka-specific provision. Section 67 of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance makes it an offence to drive, ride, lead, propel, or leave a vehicle on a footway in a way that obstructs the footway.

Therefore, vehicles occupying or driving along footpaths are not simply causing inconvenience-they can constitute a violation of the law, depending on the type of vehicle and circumstances.

A question of enforcement
The problem is not only about traffic management. It is also about the right to safe public space. A footpath blocked by vehicles means pedestrians lose the infrastructure specifically intended for them.

Urban planners and transport experts have repeatedly emphasized the need for continuous, accessible footpaths and effective enforcement against illegal parking and vehicle movement on pedestrian spaces.
Dhaka’s roads are already crowded. But when vehicles take over the footpaths, pedestrians are pushed into danger.

This is not simply a traffic problem. It is a question of safety, accessibility and the right to walk safely in the city.

Legal references: Road Transport Act, 2018, Section 49(1)(?); Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance, Section 67.