ERODE In the absence of provision for parking space on the smart road at Periyar Nagar, two-wheelers were parked on footpaths while four-wheelers were parked on the road leading to frequent congestion causing hardship to the motorists.
Under the Smart City Mission, the Corporation developed Periyar Nagar Chidambaram Colony Road, Kalaimagal School Road, Jeevanandam Road and Old Poondurai Road as smart roads at a total cost of ₹41.30 crore.
The roads were designed with footpaths on both the sides and underground utility systems. Commercial establishments, hospitals and households were located on both the sides on the stretch of the road at Periyar Nagar. Since no parking provisions were given by the establishments and hospitals, customers and visitors parked their vehicles on the road.
The footpaths are used for two-wheeler parking while cars and other four-wheelers are parked on the road that is already congested.
U. Dinesh, a motorist, said that footpaths consume one-third of the available road space while unauthorised car parking consume another one-third of the space. “Motorists have less than 10 metre road space in the stretch leading to frequent congestion”, he added.
Shopkeepers said that footpaths have consumed the space in front of their shops that were used for parking. “Pedestrians are not using the footpaths and we have no space to park our vehicles”, said a tea stall owner. They wanted either the width of the platforms to be reduced or a multiple parking lot be constructed in the area to solve the traffic issue.
A Corporation engineer said that footpaths were established as per the guidelines and hence, its width cannot be reduced. “There is no move to alter its design”, he added.
