The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Parking at will adds to the ills Law & order

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Saturday, Jun 14, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Parking at will adds to the ills Law & order

More vehicles and haphazard parking make drive though the city a nightmare, reports L. Srikrishna

Last week, a senior citizen from Anna Nagar drove his luxury car to the Bullion Bazaar area with his family members at around 6 p.m.. Since he could not find a safe place to park his brand new vehicle, he returned home without shopping.

Rise in vehicle population, no doubt, is posing a serious challenge to the police in traffic regulation. Better coordination between the police and Corporation authorities would ensure ideal parking space for all types of vehicles in and around commercial hubs such as Masi Streets, Avani Moola Streets and Veli Streets, motorists feel.

Parking in a haphazard manner not only reduces the carriage way but also results in traffic jams, they complain.For instance, the width of North Veli Street has almost been cut to half owing to indiscriminate parking on both sides. Why are the police not towing away vehicles and imposing fines, wonder road users.

Movement of vehicles gets paralysed during peak hours when lorries are allowed to load and unload goods along the Masi Streets. Sometimes, even two-wheeler riders find it tough to negotiate their way through haphazardly parked goods vehicles. Similar problems are faced in parts of northern parts of the city as well.

Comes to a standstill

A classic example pointed out by many road users is the Goripalayam junction. Between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., vehicle movement comes to a standstill along American College shopping complex.

Similarly, parking so many vehicles in front of marriage halls and shopping complexes situated along narrow roads adds to the traffic congestion.

No way for ambulance

A fortnight ago, an accident victim who was brought from Virudhunagar to a private hospital died on admission. Though there were many factors for the death, delay in admission was cited as one of the reasons. The ambulance driver is stated to have said that though he rushed through the national highway, traffic snarl on Tirupparankundram Road (near Palanganatham junction) resulted in a delay in reaching the hospital. A traffic police officer admitted that vehicular traffic during peak hour is out of control.

Ban or no ban

A senior police officersaid that though parking of vehicles in business areas such as North Veli and West Masi zones had been banned, many merchants use their political clout to violate the ban. He suggested that only when multi-level parking lots were provided, a permanent solution could be found for the issue.

Though shortage of personnel in traffic wing is a different story, motorists in the city expect the police to find alternatives that will ensure safe parking and smooth passage for other vehicles.

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