KOCHI: The Vyttila Mobility Hub Society (VMHS) has lodged a complaint with the City Traffic Police over the illegal parking of vehicles on the key service road leading to the hub, after the ‘No Parking’ boards erected there have failed to rein in the act by motorists. In fact, illegal parking is rampant at many such locations in Kochi, considerably slowing down city traffic.
This is even as the traffic movement in the city is already hit by narrow roads and high volume of vehicle registration - the Ernakulam RTO recorded 24,640 vehicles in FY 2024-25.
“Despite erecting ‘No Parking’ boards, the motorists continue to park vehicles along the stretch where the buses proceed to the hub. A lot of private vehicles coming from Kaniyampuzha side and proceeding towards the city and Tripunithura through the hub also use the road. The illegal parking is hampering the smooth flow of traffic. Hence we lodged a complaint with the City East Traffic police station, and the cops have promised to act,” said a senior VMHS official.
The Traffic East Police station alone registered a total of 24,151 cases for ‘Obstructive Parking’ in 2024, while those recorded at the Traffic West station is more than double the number. “On average, nearly 200 cases are registered daily here for obstructive parking,” said a police official.
City Police Commissioner Putta Vimaladitya acknowledged the growing menace. “Vehicle parking is a major issue. Nobody has any officially accepted space for parking (on road sides). The vehicles are often parked illegally, but it is not possible for us to seize all vehicles,” he told TNIE.
The illegal parking issue is most severe in the narrow Ernakulam Broadway market, where two-wheelers can be seen parked in up to three rows.
“Most of the two-wheelers belong to the staff of Penta Menaka and are parked in multiple rows along the road. The same has resulted in impediment of vehicular flow. It also affects our business as our customers couldn’t park their vehicles. Furthermore, fire tenders find it difficult to make way to locations inside in case of a fire emergency,” said Zageer P A, Broadway Shop Owners Association president.
“We’ve lodged many complaints with the police but no permanent action has been taken so far. Now we’re planning to submit a complaint to the Mayor,” he added.
The fines for illegal parking are `500 for the first offence and `1,500 for subsequent offences. As per the Kochi Corporation and GCDA data, of the total 63 parking spaces, 19 are operated by the corporation, 27 by private parties with permission from the corporation, and 17 on land belonging to GCDA.
Experts, however, pointed out that a permanent solution is the popularisation of public transport modes, and more passengers should shift to public transport.
“A main issue is the increasing use of private vehicles. People should shift to public transport. It is the only permanent solution. Then parking lots should be marked wherever spaces are available. Strict enforcement is also the need of the hour. Currently many people would park their vehicles on road sides even if dedicated parking lots are available nearby,” said D Dhanuraj, chairman of the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), a public policy think-tank based in Kochi.