Haphazard parking of vehicles and entry of trucks during restricted hours create issues

Haphazard parking of vehicles particularly during peak hours is choking arterial roads in the city causing traffic obstruction and leaving no space for pedestrians

With traffic police personnel mostly not available on Ambalathadayar Madam Street and Vellala Street, commuters face a tough time in navigating through the roads. Being a major shopping area, motorists park their vehicles on both sides of the road resulting in frequent traffic snarls.

A senior police official said that the Department introduced one-side parking on arterial roads, including Mahatma Gandhi Road, Mission Street and Ambalathadayar Madam Street to ease congestion.

However, within minutes of police personnel leaving the area, motorists park their vehicles on the prohibited stretch.

The traffic police, though hard-pressed for manpower, will have to deploy personnel on these stretches as has been done on Jawaharlal Nehru Street, to ensure that parking rules are enforced.

The entry of heavy vehicles during peak hours has also affected the smooth movement of traffic. The movement of heavy vehicles is restricted within the city limits from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m, and from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Even as specific timings have been announced for the entry of heavy vehicles the business communitys fail to follow them.

Heavy vehicles continue to ply in the city during the peak hours with the authorities turning a blind eye to the erratic parking of trucks on the main thoroughfares. Trucks coming from neighbouring districts like Villupuram and Cuddalore are supposed to park their vehicles at the truck terminal in Mettupalayam during peak traffic hour in the city.

However, with the traffic police and authorities not implementing the ban order the vehicles also make their way into the city for loading and unloading goods.

A senior Traffic police official said that that they were taking steps to prevent the entry of heavy vehicles during the peak hours. Fines were imposed on vehicles which violate the rules, he said.

Poor infrastructure

A spokesperson of the Pondicherry Lorry Owners Association said that lorries were coming into the town due to lack of adequate infrastructure at the Truck Terminal in Mettupalayam. Though the terminal was set up on 37 acres in 2008, the government failed to create infrastructure for parking vehicles, resting area for crew members and rooms for booking agents.

The government had promised that an alternative site would be identified for the terminal but there was no sign of it, he said.