Festive season every year leaves consumers, who visit the main commercial areas around the Rockfort, literally gasping for breath. Given the ever increasing commercial development and influx of consumers from the city and neighbouring towns, lack of parking lots in the central business locality remains the foremost problem faced by thousands of consumers visiting the area every day in the run up to Deepavali festival.
Characterised by narrow roads, the main commercial centre around the NSB Road, Singarathope, Big Bazaar and Nandhi Kovil Street, remains perennially clogged.
Indiscriminate encroachments by major commercial houses, small businesses and hawkers only compound the problem. Every passing year sees, old buildings in several narrow lanes and by-lanes being pulled down to make way for multi-storeyed complexes allowing hardly any breathing space.
Many of the major commercial establishments here do not provide parking space. As a result consumers have to park their two-wheelers and four-wheelers along the West Boulevard Road, Madurai Road and wherever they can find a few feet of open space. The area around Teppakulam Post Office overflows with parked vehicles right through the day. Haphazard parking, even at no parking zones in front of the Holy Cross College on the Madurai Road, West Boulevard Road (where only two-wheeler parking is allowed), the College Road and around the Chathram Bus Stand make for chaotic traffic.
The Corporation for long has been unable to come up with a solution or find a suitable space for creating a parking lot.
“Shopping, which should be pleasant experience, turns a nightmarish drive during the festival season. Finding a parking space becomes a tedious chore and often you are left exasperated. Even if we find space, we are not sure if the vehicles will be safe,” said R.Ashok, a city resident. He suggests that a parking lot could be temporarily created at Yanaikulam grounds at Singarathope where a commercial complex is planned.
Over the past couple of years, a temporary arrangement have been made allowing people to park their vehicles at the Bishop Heber Higher Secondary School grounds in the run up to the Deepavali festival. But no such arrangement has been made yet this year.
“There has been tremendous increase in the number of vehicles, but there is no parking space. The civic authorities should force commercial establishments to provide parking space for their customers. Poor enforcement and indiscriminate roadside parking is creating much problem,” observed M.Sekaran, president, Federation of Consumer and Service Organisations and a member of the District Road Safety Council.
Entry of goods vehicles
Mr.Sekaran points out that the Mainguard Gate, the gateway to the bazaar, is almost fully occupied by vendors, causing tremendous inconvenience to people visiting the bazaar. He also insisted that entry of goods vehicles into the city should be strictly restricted within the permitted timings.
N.Ramakrishnan, founder, MGR Nalpani Mandram, feels that the police, Corporation and the district administration has failed to come up with a proper plan for traffic management. He suggests that buses could be diverted via the East Boulevard Road on a trial basis. Hawkers should be earmarked one particular spot to sell their wares. Creation of temporary parking areas at a couple of grounds available along the road could also be considered. Besides, one-way traffic systems could be introduced and enforced strictly, he adds.
Many of the major commercial establishments here do not provide parking space
