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Parking Problems Greater In City
Posted by Pradeep Sadanapalli | July 13, 2008 | 2,082 views
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The haphazard demarcation of parking and no-parking zones and erratic habits of motorists are adding to the traffic problems in the city.
Motorists allege that spacious areas in the city are being marked as no-parking zones while messy and congested roads have vehicles being parked even on the footpath.
Vehicles are packed together in areas such as Punjagutta, Somajiguda circle, Khairtabad, Ameerpet, Mehdipatnam and Lakdi-kapul.
At the same time, traffic cops point out that motorists continue to park their vehicles wherever they want, violating rules with impunity. Of the 15 lakh cases booked by the traffic cops last year, 2 lakh involved parking violations. Neither stern warnings nor firm action seem to deter motorists.
“People should not park vehicles in double rows wherever single parking is allowed,” said a traffic cop. But this rule is only observed mostly in the breach.
Both the traffic police and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation have rights to identify parking and no-parking zones in the city.
Cops have recently identified more than 10 important junctions in the city where the traffic density is the highest. But they were not ready to allow parking zones in areas where there are no security personnel.
The Additional Commissioner (traffic), Mr V.S.K. Kaumudi, said that vehicles parked in these zones would be towed away.
“All the spacious and parking friendly places are being categorised as no parking zones,” said Mr Karthik Subramaniam, a software engineer. This is causing much trouble to motorists since commercial buildings in the city have no parking space of their own either.
For instance, the Minerva coffee shop building in front of the Somajiguda Circle has no parking lot and people park vehicles on the footpath.
Similarly, those who visit Navaketan building, Chandana Brothers, and Patny also park on the footpath.
“We don’t own the whole building and the developer should be held responsible,” said a shop owner.
Visitors to the city are amazed at the absence of parking lots in busy junctions. “My cousin Raghav, a software engineer in the US, was amazed at the big ordeal involved in parking in the city,” said Mr Kalyan Chakravarthy, an MBA graduate.
A couple of years ago, the then Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad had launched an annual pre-paid parking system in the city. However, the motorists did not respond enthusiastically to the scheme since the tickets were priced at Rs 100 for two-wheelers and Rs 200 for four-wheelers.
Moreover, the MCH also failed to persuade commercial complexes, cinema houses and even government offices to fall in line with their scheme.
Only 84,440 of the 16 lakh motorists bought the tickets. “Why would anybody want to spend Rs 100 on parking?” asked Mr Ranganath Raju, an employee of the State Bank of India.
The GHMC had proposed to start automatic parking complexes at 21 identified sites and begin metered parking at designated parking lots in six months.
“We have also decided not to permit any new multistoreyed buildings if they do not provide parking space,” said the Commissioner and Special Officer, Mr C.V.S.K. Sarma.
In the first six months of 2008
- 93,403 cases booked on spot against vehicles parked in “No parking zones”
- 21,624 e-challans booked against vehicles parked in “No parking zones”
- 74,771 No of vehicles towed away by the traffic police crane
- Recently, the traffic police have identified around 11 “No parking — towing zones” in the city.
SOURCES:
Deccan Chronicle
Topics: Public Concerns, Govt Failures, Infrastructure |
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