A series of measures has been initiated by the city police to check illegal parking of vehicles on roads and footpath, and to ensure that road users are fully benefitted by the road corridors that have been developed under the City Road Improvement Project (CRIP) in the capital.
Along with this, crackdown on hawkers who have encroached upon prime spots on footpath, creating obstructions to the free and safe movement of pedestrians, has also begun. The shops that have put up display boards that protrude into the footpath and are using footpath for displaying their wares in several busy stretches have been put under the scanner.
Action plan
The action plan comprising awareness programmes and penal action has been initiated by City Police Commissioner T.J. Jose and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) V.C. Mohanan.
“The slow but steady action that has started yielding visible changes in several corridors will be completed within one month. The attempt is to check illegal parking on roads and footpath, and to make available the carriageway for motorists,” official sources said.
The action of the city police comes after several corridors in the capital, including arterial roads, have been designated non-parking zones as part of the road improvement project. The delay on the part of the civic authorities to provide alternative parking lots, and opposition from shopkeepers and business establishments to the parking restrictions have been delaying the strict implementation of the restrictions.
Parking problems have been reported on the Kowdiar-Pattom road and the Vellayambalam- Sasthamangalam road, which have turned into business-and-shopping corridors similar to the Plamoodu-Kesavadasapuram stretch. The developed carriageway is being used for parking by those who come to restaurants and shops, and other business establishments on the stretches. Those residing on these corridors too are affected due to the illegal parking in front of their houses.
Those who leave their vehicles for long hours and from morning till night in front of shops and business establishments too have come under the scanner of the city police. Station House Officers have been asked to keep a tab on such vehicles and to collect the registration numbers.
The traffic police during a recent VVIP visit had found that many vehicles parked on the Vellayambalam-Althara road were left by those who commute to Kollam and to the Technopark.
Illegal parking on the Ayurveda College-Overbridge stretch, East Fort and on the VJT Hall-University Library stretch will also be checked. The police have urged the motorists to avoid parking along the main roads, narrow roads, junctions, in front of institutions, on sharp curves, bridges, bus stops, zebra crossings and where ‘no-parking' boards have been installed.
Those who cause obstruction on roads will be booked under Section 283 of the IPC and those found parking vehicles on footpaths will be booked under Section 122 read with 177 of the Motor Vehicles Act.
Along with this, the city traffic police have also introduced yellow stickers for cracking down on illegal parking on the busy corridors.
