CHENNAI: A walk along the shores inhaling salty air with the breeze gently wrapping you around in its embrace has been the best relaxation of an average city resident since time immemorial. However, walking along Elliot’s Beach is no longer fun for pedestrians, especially on weekends, thanks to the unregulated two-wheeler parking all over the street.
TNIE visited the beach on such an occasion and found the area in near chaos. Two-wheeler riders were seen riding very near to the promenade, sometimes terrifying pedestrians, young and old. Personnel managing the on-street parking arrangement said four-wheeler parking has been regulated to a certain extent but two-wheeler parking has been in disarray and turned worse in the last couple of years.
Visitors are often seen haphazardly parking their two-wheelers, adding to traffic congestion during busy hours. Moving on the streets around the beach has become a struggle as vehicles are parked all over the interior streets, at times blocking gates of buildings. “We try to control parking violations, but a lot of visitors refuse to comply. The lack of dedicated staff for two-wheeler parking is also a reason for the chaos,” a person managing the parking arrangement said.
Shajahan, secretary of the Elliot’s Beach Flat Owners Welfare Association, told TNIE, “The service road near the beach promenade connects six major areas in Besant Nagar. But, it has become nearly inaccessible due to two-wheeler parking. Emergency vehicles, including ambulances, struggle to get through during weekends as visitors block the road on both sides of 24th Cross Street.”
Corporation initiates study
It may be noted that the city corporation recently initiated a study, bringing in consultants to record the traffic and parking patterns in Besant Nagar area. “We are considering off-street parking with specific streets assigned as designated entry and exit points. We are in the process of identifying these streets and to see if this could be feasible,” a corporation official said.
However, the proposal is still in its early stages. Officials, to this effect, carried out a field-level study on December 27.
“Every few years, the traffic patterns change and it needs to be studied to come up with an effective parking plan. That is what we are doing now,” a zonal-level official said.