THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ill-thought-out parking restrictions imposed by the city traffic police have led to chaos in the capital. Police are slapping fines on vehicles parked even at places without a ‘No Parking’ board.
When questioned by the motorists, the police pointed out the new traffic rule by which vehicles can be parked only at designated parking spaces with ‘Parking’ boards. The police have also kept traffic cones at many places to prevent vehicles from parking.
Car owners are bearing the brunt of this change in rules as several roads have been closed for construction or renovation as part of the Smart City Mission project. S Jayasree, a professor at Mar Baselios College of Engineering and Technology, had a bitter experience recently when she parked her vehicle on the roadside at Kochar Road near Sasthamangalam. “Unlike other roads, there is less traffic on this route and no restrictions were in place either,” she says.
“However, one day, during a temple festival at the nearby Alakapuri auditorium, the road saw an increase in the number of vehicles. The traffic police came and slapped a fine on every car that was parked there. When I talked to the police about the lack of a no-parking board at the site, a policeman told me that vehicles could be parked only in designated spaces. That was a new piece of information not only for me, but many others who were unaware of this new rule. People are struggling to park their vehicles in the city nowadays.”
Businessman Kiran Kumar N also encountered a similar experience at Palayam. He says the police should inform the public about the list of places where parking is allowed. “Parking on city roads has become a nightmare now,” he laments. “The police either keep traffic cones on almost all routes or those on duty stop us from parking. While there is paid parking by the city corporation, the new rule of the police regarding designated parking spaces is impractical and unscientific.”
The National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC), which is a stakeholder in the new parking rules in the city, claims to have undergone a study on the same. “The city police, corporation, Smart City, and NATPAC are the stakeholders in the new parking arrangement. NATPAC has proposed the new parking spaces, and the list will be issued to the public soon.
The new parking restrictions are part of the smart parking system proposed by the Smart City Mission project. The police are also taking this matter into consideration,” says NATPAC transport planning and engineering division head Shaheem S.
New sign boards are being made by Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Limited (SCTL). “Roads will also be painted to designate parking spaces. The drawing of the parking spaces will also begin soon,” Shaheem adds.
On being informed about the public grouse, City Police Commissioner C H Nagaraju says the police and corporation have identified certain locations as new parking spaces for commuters. “A list has been prepared to streamline parking and it will be published soon,” he says. “I can assure that fines will not be imposed for a while. I will instruct the officers concerned not to slap fines until the new list of parking spaces is published.”
‘No Parking’ zones