Coimbatore, Nov. 20
After witnessing vehicles move inch-by-inch in cities like Chennai or Bengaluru, people here would often feel blessed as the traffic has never been so chaotic.
"In half hour we would tour the entire city" the people of this city would often boast. Sadly, things have turned topsy-turvy in the recent years. Gradually, Coimbatore's traffic is drifting from bad to worse. Though the gargantuan growth of vehicular population is one of the pivotal reasons for traffic congestion, the ill-equipped roads, lack of adequate parking facility, and poor traffic decisions also largely contribute to this scenario.
According to reports, there are about 15 lakh moving vehicle population in the city. And every year, 1.5 lakh new vehicles get added to the list. Along with this, tourist vehicles, buses from other places, goods lorries add to the traffic ordeal.
According to Coimbatore Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dr. Vijay Karthikeyan, at least 25,000 vehicles come to the city roads every week.
"The one-way in Brooke Bond road is the main reason for constant traffic clutter in the area. Those travelling from Avinashi road to RS Puram have to go through Marakadai, Sukrawarpet and Poo market, which is 24x7 busy and very narrow. Instead of building flyovers, if the existing roads are well-mapped and planned properly the traffic can be controlled to a great extent," says Kathir, a PG student.
"In 2014 the state government sanctioned Rs. 2,000 crore to enhance the infrastructural development of the city. Henceforth, it was decided to build multi-level car parking facilities at all prominent locations in the city. However, citing several reasons, the project still remains just on paper", lamented a social activist.
"Though I own two cars, I generally prefer using my two-wheeler for daily commuting. For two reasons, one is lack of adequate parking facility and the other is traffic congestion. It is becoming a cumbersome task to commute by four-wheelers during peak traffic hours. Yesterday, we were shopping at Gandhipuram. As the Corporation parking lot was full, I had to park my car in Ram Nagar and walk all the way from there", pointed out Mr. Saravanan from RS Puram.
Sharing his views on the traffic issues, Mr. Rajkumar, a trader from Ram Nagar said "As there is no proper parking place allotted for vehicles, people are forced to park in an indisciplined manner. Most of the restaurants and shops do not have parking space. So people park on either side of the road."
Commenting on the issue, Mr. Sujit Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) said, "We are in the process of implementing various viable solutions to lessen the traffic menace. Like the one-side parking plan which is implemented on prominent roads. And, with regard to implementation of multi-level parking, we will discuss in detail with the Corporation Commissioner."
"Many of the multi-storeyed buildings and commercial establishments do not provide parking facility. In such cases, people visiting their premises are left with no option other than parking outside. Hence, the Corporation should insist on the building owners to mandatorily allot parking space", Mr. Kumar suggested.
After witnessing vehicles move inch-by-inch in cities like Chennai or Bengaluru, people here would often feel blessed as the traffic has never been so chaotic.
"In half hour we would tour the entire city" the people of this city would often boast. Sadly, things have turned topsy-turvy in the recent years. Gradually, Coimbatore's traffic is drifting from bad to worse. Though the gargantuan growth of vehicular population is one of the pivotal reasons for traffic congestion, the ill-equipped roads, lack of adequate parking facility, and poor traffic decisions also largely contribute to this scenario.
According to reports, there are about 15 lakh moving vehicle population in the city. And every year, 1.5 lakh new vehicles get added to the list. Along with this, tourist vehicles, buses from other places, goods lorries add to the traffic ordeal.
According to Coimbatore Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dr. Vijay Karthikeyan, at least 25,000 vehicles come to the city roads every week.
"The one-way in Brooke Bond road is the main reason for constant traffic clutter in the area. Those travelling from Avinashi road to RS Puram have to go through Marakadai, Sukrawarpet and Poo market, which is 24x7 busy and very narrow. Instead of building flyovers, if the existing roads are well-mapped and planned properly the traffic can be controlled to a great extent," says Kathir, a PG student.
"In 2014 the state government sanctioned Rs. 2,000 crore to enhance the infrastructural development of the city. Henceforth, it was decided to build multi-level car parking facilities at all prominent locations in the city. However, citing several reasons, the project still remains just on paper", lamented a social activist.
"Though I own two cars, I generally prefer using my two-wheeler for daily commuting. For two reasons, one is lack of adequate parking facility and the other is traffic congestion. It is becoming a cumbersome task to commute by four-wheelers during peak traffic hours. Yesterday, we were shopping at Gandhipuram. As the Corporation parking lot was full, I had to park my car in Ram Nagar and walk all the way from there", pointed out Mr. Saravanan from RS Puram.
Sharing his views on the traffic issues, Mr. Rajkumar, a trader from Ram Nagar said "As there is no proper parking place allotted for vehicles, people are forced to park in an indisciplined manner. Most of the restaurants and shops do not have parking space. So people park on either side of the road."
Commenting on the issue, Mr. Sujit Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) said, "We are in the process of implementing various viable solutions to lessen the traffic menace. Like the one-side parking plan which is implemented on prominent roads. And, with regard to implementation of multi-level parking, we will discuss in detail with the Corporation Commissioner."
"Many of the multi-storeyed buildings and commercial establishments do not provide parking facility. In such cases, people visiting their premises are left with no option other than parking outside. Hence, the Corporation should insist on the building owners to mandatorily allot parking space", Mr. Kumar suggested.