KOCHI: With increasing instances of illegal parking along Hospital Road, the stretch has turned into a nightmare for pedestrians and also ambulances coming to the General hospital. Since this major road connects the hospital to MG Road, illegal parking always results in traffic congestion. Even ambulances that rush to the hospital have to waste a lot of time meandering through the blockades.
“Repeatedly for many times ambulances had to wait for a long time to reach the hospital. Illegal parking on both sides of the road has made it narrow and this has restricted the free movement of vehicles,” said a source who works in the hospital.
People who come to the shops and also those who work in the nearby business firms are mainly responsible for the illegal parking on the stretch. But what makes the issue even worse is that the police is yet to crack down on this illegal parking.
“Police mainly uses the stretch to divert traffic from Park Avenue whenever any protest or march is held in front of the Corporation office. They are not even bothered about the fact how crucial the road which leads to the hospital is,” said a hospital source.
Also, people are forced to wait for buses on the road since the waiting shed too has been encroached upon by illegally parked vehicles.