VISAKHAPATNAM: PARKING of lorries and other heavy vehicles on the NH16 has emerged as a major reason for the spurt in road accidents on the city outskirts. The issue has been worrying the local police as there were several accidents of late in which cars hit stationary lorries, claiming lives.
The Payakaraopeta-Anakapalle and Anandapuram-Tagarapuvalasa stretches witness regular parking of heavy vehicles, in violation of the norms. More than 50 vehicles are parked on this stretch at any given time of the day and by the night the count reaches up to 100.
The NH has special bays for parking vehicles but the norm is more often broken than respected. Many cabbies, especially during the nights, ram their vehicles to the parked lorries, unable to take notice of them.
“Bike riders or people also cross the NH being unwatchful of the speeding vehicles and the drivers fail to notice them as the parked lorries hinder the view. It often results in accidents. Al least one of the 10 accidents reported from the Yelamanchali-Payakaraopeta stretch occur owing to the same reason,” said a police officer.
Inadequate parking lots
Traffic officials say that whenever they pull up the lorry drivers for wrong parking, they dish out excuses like weakness, lack of sleep, fatigue or ill-health. “It’s not to blame just the drivers, as the city has got only a few parking bays. Gambheeram, Anandapuram and Port hospital on the NH have parking bays. As a result, many park their vehicles on the roadside. We have been advise the drivers to park vehicles in vacant places,” said ADCP (Traffic) K Mahendra Patrudu.
In some cases, negligence by driver leads to accidents and driving across the nights make them feel drowsy, he explained, adding that overspeeding leads to accidents too, he explained. The police also blame the lack of streetlights for the spurt of accidents.
Major accidents
July 2015: Three died as auto rammed a stationary lorry at Sabbavaram.
January 2016: A youngster run over by a car while crossing the road near Tagarapuvalasa
April 9, 2016: A car rammed a stationary lorry at Regupalem junction, killing a couple
Danger zone
Payakaraopeta-Anakapalle
Anandapuram-Tagarapuvalasa
‘Make parking place mandatory for petrol bunks, hotels’
In general, Vizag has a heavy influx of vehicles from the Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Yelamanchili routes. Truck drivers have parking facility only at the designated bays and the places near petrol bunks, dhabas and restaurants. But with the lack of adequate parking bays and vacant places on the NH, many lorry drivers park their vehicles in the ‘no parking zones’. Traffic police say that as per norms, parking bays are meant for drivers to take a short break or for vehicles to carry out repairs in case of any breakdown. “We and some truck associations have been requesting the NHAI to make it mandatory for all petrol bunks, restaurants and hotels on the NH to have parking places for trucks, where the drivers could stay put at night. But, nothing has been done in this regard so far,” added the ADCP.
Truck terminals mooted
The Visakhapatnam traffic police and Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) have mooted “truck terminals” on the NH16 as a part of the Smart City initiatives. According to the officials, the truck terminals will have facilities like fuel bunk, small vehicle workshop, restrooms, restaurants and waiting rooms. They expect the terminals to come up as part of the Smart City benefits.