Parking problems are one and the same on every road, when it comes to busy market areas. There is a lack of coordination among various governing bodies. Most roads are witnessing huge construction works leading to consuming the space meant for parking. Most roads facing parking problems have markets on both sides where people suffer as they do not find space for their vehicles to park. Take the example of road between Law College square and Shankar Nagar square or from Laxmibhuvan to Ramnagar square, one has to struggle to get parking space. If one gets the space, one heaves a sigh of relief. Blamegame is always there with the civic bodies or police passing the buck to the citizens and vice versa.

 

 

The entire stretch of Law College square to Shankar Nagar square is a busy market area. It has clothes shops, sweets shops, mobile shops, banks, medicine store, jewellery showroom, bar, hotel and what not! Connecting this stretch is the road from Laxmibhuvan square to Ramnagar square. This road has again hospitals, book shop, fruit vendors stand in an indisciplined manner. To add to the woes of the people, the roads inside Dharampeth are being concretised due to which, commuting has become impossible. Before the concretisation work inside Dharampeth roads began, people used to find a little space there. Now they don’t have a choice than to park vehicles somewhere else and walk down to their destinations. The road between Law College square and Gokulpeth square is narrow. On most road stretches, there are banks, mobile shops, jewellery shops.

 

The vehicles parked by those visiting these shops affect vehicular movement. According to a study by Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), such parking that affects vehicular movement is termed as friction. It creates friction, leading to slowing down of the traffic on the roads. It is true that civic bodies or the authority concerned fail to implement rules and regulations, but people too park vehicles in a wayward manner. The road between Laxmi Bhuvan square to Shankar Nagar square and vice versa is a headache for those who search for parking space. Important part of this parking mess is nobody thinks of others’ convenience, just park the vehicle and enter into the establishment wherever one has to. If one has a look at the chapter devoted to parking aspect in new Unified Development Control and Promotions Regulations (UDCPR), one realises that some changes have been made. Wherever a property is to be developed or redeveloped, parking spaces at the scale laid down in these regulations shall be provided.

 

When additions are made to an existing building, the new parking requirements will be reckoned with reference to the additional space only and not to the whole of building, but this concession shall not apply where the use is changed. The new UDCPR makes it clear that off street parking space must have adequate vehicular access to a street. The width of drive for motor vehicles and scooter, motorcycle shall be minimum 3 m and 2 m respectively. The composite parking of vehicles like one car with two scooters may be allowed. Also, six scooters’ parking may be allowed to be converted in one car parking. Considering rising number of school bus or private group transport system, the UDCPR has made a special provision for Bus bay for schools/ multiplex /malls/ assembly buildings / group housing (Unfortunately, it has not come up). However, in case of office building, such parking spaces shall not exceed more than 4. For the first time, there is a provision made for visitor’s parking. Secondly, the parking is allowed for limited number of vehicles in the building. For public semipublic, hotel, hospital, educational buildings, such charges shall not be leviable. According to experts, this step has been taken to compel people to go for public transport. One more addition has been effected in UDCPR. It has allowed Mechanical/ Hydraulic / Stack parking/ multi-storeyed parking with or without car lift.

 

 Serious mess at Gokulpeth square

 

The Gokulpeth square is witness to a mess when vehicles from all the four sides approach it. The vehicles come from Gokulpeth market and move towards Law College square, some cross the square and take a turn towards Laxmibhuvan square, some enter Dharampeth, some come from Law College square, go straight to Laxmi Bhuvan square, some take U-turn and move towards Law College square, some take a right turn and enter the Gokulpeth market. ‘The Hitavada’ tried to bring it to the notice of Traffic Department, but no steps have beeen taken. During festivals, people face severe problems not only of parking but also of traffic movement. Some people demanded that the median should be closed to avoid traffic congestion.