Parking ok on footpath?

Parking ok on footpath?

Over, 900,000 vehicles have been booked for illegal parking this year alone. One such area where illegal parking has taken over is Koramangala 5th block.

Here, footpaths have been encroached by two-wheeler vehicles for parking, under the close watch of a traffic constable. When City Express intervened and pointed out the situation to the traffic constable, he gave his assurance to us that the footpaths would be cleared. However, the situation did not improve even after a couple of hours.

“Most of this footpath is occupied by twowheeler vehicles. Thanks to illegal parking, pedestrians are often forced to walk on the roads. The two-wheelers are allowed to park here every day. No one actually objects. So, people park their bikes readily, “ said Nandini Balakrishnan, a regular visitor to Koramangala.

Voicing a similar opinion, Vivek Raj, a resident of Koramangala fifth block says, “Illegal parking gained momentum only after the bar and restaurant came up. This is one of the most happening places in Bangalore. Here, restaurants are allowed to run till 1 am. But many a time people don’t like going to the bar because of parking issues. So, these footpaths have been turned into a parking space.”

When City Express brought this issue to the notice of Additional Commissioner of Police Traffic, M A Saleem, he said, “I will ask my inspector to visit this area immediately.

In this particular case, people resort to illegal parking mostly in the evenings. The constable does not have any authority to book cases against motorists. It is only in the hands of the inspector.

With fines being as low as Rs 100, more and more people tend to break laws rather than making an effort to follow the rules. I think people need to develop better traffic sense and understand the necessity for rules. Parking on footpaths is extremely uncivilised.”

Footpath encroachment is a perennial problem in the city. With motorists blatantly flouting all traffic norms; it is high time that the authorities take strict action against the regular offenders.

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The New Indian Express
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