Despite converting the East Veli Street into an one-way, vehicle movement is always either at snail’s pace or gets choked due to haphazard parking and loading and unloading of lorries, unmindful of problems created by them to other motorists.
Taking into account the rise in number of vehicles, the police had long ago converted the two-way traffic into one-way system on East Veli Street. A major portion of the broad road had been encroached by some people who are using the public space as their private garage space by permanently parking their vehicles. Some have even covered their vehicles with tarpaulin sheets, a banker who uses the road frequently says.
Coming out with a different tale, lorry drivers say, “We are forced to park vehicles almost on the middle of the road as cars are parked close to the pavements.”
“What irritates the motorists is the lorry crew who go on with their work unmindful of the traffic jam for which they are solely responsible. The other day, an emergency service vehicle took a long time to come out of the traffic snarl as the ambulance driver did not have a clue that the lorry in front was involved in loading goods. The ambulance had to reverse the vehicle and proceed to the Mission Hospital, a shopkeeper, Subburaj, in the area said.
Though a traffic police officer in the vicinity justified that the goods vehicles entered only on specific timings they were permitted to come inside the city, the problem lay in haphazard parking. “The police let drivers to park on whichever side they want thus causing bottlenecks. Parking on both sides of the road gives very little space to negotiate for other vehicles. Strict enforcement alone would put an end to this problem,” a medical representative, Ravindran, said and suggested that the police should allow one-side parking only.
The double-side parking menace persists on Tamil Sangam Road also where traffic snarl is caused due to police apathy. Heavy vehicles taking a ‘U’ turn from North Veli Street to enter Tamil Sangam Road find it hard as goods vehicles would be usually parked at the entrance of the road during peak hours opposite the petrol bunk, a few metres away from a city bus stop as well. A traffic constable posted on the stretch uses a mobile public address system, but the drivers have scant regard to his instructions.
Like the no-parking rule for four-wheelers introduced on North Veli Street, the police should also declare East Veli Street and Tamil Sangam Road the same way and reduce the timing of entry for goods vehicles.
Meanwhile, parking space for shoppers’ vehicles on East Veli Street could be allotted on Kamarajar Salai and for those coming to Tamil Sangam Road, the nearby Krishna Rao Tank Street may be an alternative spot.
Again, when the police identify a space for parking in these locations, taxis encroach, thus giving very little space for shoppers.
With Deepavali fast approaching, the police should find ways that would keep the vehicle flow as shoppers would start visiting from forenoon itself.
