Chennai Citizen Connect: Parking on Sir Thyagaraya Road chaotic; rattles daily pedestrians
Parking for cars is officially permitted in marked spaces along the sides of the road
CHENNAI: For shoppers and pedestrians of Pondy Bazaar, wading through the overflowing parking despite the designated bays on Sir Thyagaraya Road has become a daunting task. Despite repeated enforcement measures by the traffic police, the cars parked beyond the bays have made vehicular and pedestrian movement tricky.
Parking for cars is officially permitted in marked spaces along the sides of the road. However, several motorists create an additional parallel row, encroaching on the road, and this even includes government officials’ vehicles.
The stretch, one of the busiest commercial zones in the city, sees a steady inflow of shoppers and delivery vehicles throughout the day. This behaviour narrows the space for moving traffic, making even a low traffic situation more stressful.
Traffic police on duty say the problem peaks during business hours when shoppers’ vehicles stay parked for long durations.
“When cars take up a second lane and buses arrive, they cannot pass smoothly,” said a traffic constable stationed there. “We keep advising motorists, but within minutes another set of cars arrives and parks in the same way.”
According to shopkeepers, weekends worsen the situation. “Multi-storey parking is close by, but they don’t prefer to walk. So, they stop wherever there’s space, even if it blocks the road,” said a gift store employee.
The Greater Chennai Traffic Police say towing and fines are done, but sustained compliance is hard to achieve without people’s cooperation.
