Space for parking vehicles, especially cars, is something difficult to find in the fort city. Haphazard parking has eaten into road space, with barely any space left for pedestrians, on many arterial roads.
Absence of parking spaces is giving a tough time to vehicle users. Many of them park their two-wheelers and four-wheelers on the sides of arterial stretches such as Arcot Road, Katpadi Road, and Anna Salai, leading to traffic congestion. The need of the hour, according to vehicle users, is earmarked parking spaces in the city.
Arcot Road, home to Christian Medical College (CMC), is heavily congested because of haphazard parking on either sides of this stretch. A traffic police officer said parking of cars is banned on the stretch but the rule is followed more in the breach.
A road user, who travels on Arcot Road regularly, pointed out that many park the cars on the side of the road, reducing its breadth by one-third.
“With no proper parking lot, people park the vehicles according to their whims and fancies. Parking of cars should not be allowed on the roadside and this should be strictly enforced. Encroachments should be removed regularly to free up space here,” he said.
Some big commercial outlets do not have parking facility for customers. Another problematic area is near Sarathy Mansion on Anna Salai as people visiting the shops and nearby vegetable markets park their vehicles, including cars, haphazardly, the traffic police officer said.
Katpadi Road has no parking space and two-wheelers and even cars are parked on the roadside, leaving no room for pedestrians.
Retail boom
“A number of big commercial establishments such as textile showrooms provide basement parking facility for vehicles. Otherwise, we have to hunt for space for parking our car whenever we visit Anna Salai. Finding space is a nightmare. Even if we visit a bank, we have to park the vehicle on the road,” said a resident of Katpadi.
“With all big brands opening shops in Vellore, parking space in buildings should be provided. The local body can earmark space for parking vehicles and collect a nominal parking fee,” he added.
It is to provide parking space for visitors that CMC introduced multi-level car parking facility on its parking lot on Arcot Road. There are two multi-level car parking facilities that could each accommodate 64 cars, said an authority.
Smart city
An official of the Vellore Corporation said under the Smart City Mission, there are plans to establish multi-level car parking facilities. “We have to identity places that require parking lots, and then identify government land nearby to construct small parking lots or multi-level car parking facility,” he said. This will be on Public Private Partnership mode. Leading construction companies/builders can take up the work on build operate transfer model. “They can construct the facility and maintain it by collecting a nominal fee from users.”
He added that it was mandatory for any big establishment to have its own car parking provision to get permission for construction. “Even hotels should have space for cars,” he said.
