Unauthorised and haphazard parking of vehicles has been giving a hard time for pedestrians and motorists on the busiest roads in the city.
Many motorists say they are forced to park their vehicles on the road sides due to lack of earmarked spaces in the vicinity.
With the sides of the roads occupied by two-wheelers and shops eating into the footpaths at many places, pedestrians have little or no space to walk. They end up jostling for space with moving vehicles.
Some of the stretches that witness such haphazard parking include Katpadi Road, Arcot Road and parts of Anna Salai. Very few commercial establishments have provided parking space for customers.
“People coming to the shops on Katpadi Road leave their vehicles on the road side. The footpath is narrow, and pedestrians like me are forced to walk on the road. This makes walking very difficult as we struggle for space with moving vehicles,” said Kavitha, a student.
Kumar, an office goer, said there is no earmarked parking space for Sarathi Maaligai on Anna Salai. “So, I have no choice but to leave my two-wheeler on the road side. We have to make our way through haphazardly parked two-wheelers to get on to the foot path. But it is pedestrians who are at the receiving end as shops extend into the foot paths too,” he added.
The long row of haphazardly parked two-wheelers is nothing new for a busy stretch like Arcot Road. Vehicles are also parked on road sides on Arni Road.
Officials of the Vellore Corporation said there were many unauthorised parking areas in the city. There are parking areas marked for Long Bazaar and Mandi Street.
The corporation is planning to bring in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions for parking in the city under the Smart City project. “This way, we can bring in revenue for the Corporation. By using ICT tool, we can fix a charge for parking on hourly basis,” an official said.
It is pedestrians who are at the receiving end as shops extend into the foot paths too, says a resident
