The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : No place to park as commercial establishments usurp the slots

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 03, 2007
ePaper

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

No place to park as commercial establishments usurp the slots

L. Srikrishna

At least 50 complaints filed by motorists with police alleging intimidation, threats

A CHALLENGE: Finding parking space in the city is becoming increasingly difficult. A view of the two-wheeler parking lot at Elliots Beach in Besant Nagar. — Photo: N. Sridharan

CHENNAI: Finding a place to park one's vehicle is becoming increasingly difficult in Chennai, with whatever little public road space available being turned into exclusive parking lots by shops, showrooms and other business establishments.

Parking problems are not just the vehicle owner's headache or a traffic management challenge, but are escalating into law and order situations at several places on an everyday basis, police said.

At public places such as restaurants and shops, a parking need often provokes fierce exchange of wordsbetween vehicle owners and the private security employed by shops and restaurants.

In the last three months, at least 50 complaints from vehicle owners/drivers were received alleging that they were prevented from parking their vehicles in places despite the absence of "no parking" signboards. This problem (of barred entry) was high in the southern and central parts of the city, they claimed.

When a young woman wanted to park her car near Royapettah flyover recently, she was prevented from doing so. The private security ordered her out of the area on learning that she was not a visitor to the restaurant there. The woman preferred to drive away rather than challenge him fearing that her vehicle might be tampered with while she was away. Similarly, a businessman was prevented from parking his vehicle on Armenian Street.

A private security guard claimed that the road space was `privately owned' and that the owner would come any moment to park his car there. An altercation between the two led to intervention by a traffic policeman.

Such woes are more common in areas such as T.Nagar, Pondy Bazaar, Parrys, Anna Salai (near the subway entrance opposite Anna Statue), Anderson Street, Purasawalkam, Adyar and Mylapore.

Some even alleged that many restaurant operators had a nexus with police who showed unusual keenness in towing away a private vehicle that was parked at these exclusive parking zones. The towing away of vehicles is said to be rampant in areas such as Mambalam, Adyar, R.A. Puram and Mandaveli.

Faced with the vexatious issue of parking, the police have been examining various alternatives and working out methods to decongest traffic.

Suggestions

Motorists suggest that the police earmark "no parking" areas and take action against those who prevent vehicles from moving into "parking" zones.

On the lines of the one-way traffic system, police should examine one-side parking of vehicles on busy thoroughfares.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Sunil Kumar said the department was studying the merits of the one-side parking system.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu