The most serious issue that exists in the city at the moment is the footpath parking, especially when it is done by the most influential people in the town. There is a common belief that the law is made for the common man and it is not applicable to the rich and famous and this true to quite an extent.
The people having the influence in the government and police makes the maximum use of the same. Double parking is the most common scenario in the city today. Police turn blind eyes when the improper parking comes in the picture.
Besides the double parking, the footpath parking creates more hurdle for the smooth movement of the pedestrians. This new trend is catching up in the capital city of Goa and there seems to be no solution available for this at the moment.
If we go back into the past little bit we remember this issue was first raised by the AAP Panaji candidate Valmiki Naik on December 8, 2015, wherein one non-Goan businessman having the big showroom in Panaji had parked his big vehicle on the footpath, right in front of his showroom. The police were summoned who instead of taking an action against the violator, started harassing Valmiki. Although later it became more of a political issue than the actual solution to the problem, the fact remains that people park on the footpath without the fear of law and order.
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The sources said that the reason behind the footpath parking is due to nonavailability of the parking space in the city and poor enforcement of the related by law by the concern authorities. The footpath parking resulting in a lot of inconvenience to the pedestrians. In the following images, you can check how many two wheelers and four wheelers are parked on the footpath creating complete blockage for the pedestrians.
The parking on footpaths compels people to walk unsafely on the roads. Besides, the parking also causes substantial damage to footpaths and kerbs, which costs the civic body thousands of rupees in repairs. The vehicles are being randomly parked on the streets and footpaths adjacent to shopping centers, schools, financial institutions, business establishments and offices.
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One of the observations done by the local media The Navhind Times, there is a parking facility in the capital city for around 2200 four wheelers and 5500 two wheelers which reach to its maximum two-wheelers0 am.
According to the Navhind Times reporter, when he took around in the city, many tourist vehicles were seen parked on the footpaths. Locals and traders were also found to park their vehicles on the footpaths. Moreover, parents were seen riding along the footpath at Shusheela building, located along 18th June Road, carrying their children after the school hours.
A visit to different areas of the city revealed a large number of vehicles parked on both sides of the roads, occupying nearly 40 percent of the motorable space. And, there was no presence of the concerned authorities – traffic police and CCP to take the violators to the task.
The footpath parking have is more visible in the following places in the capital city, Dr. A B Road, Dr. Puroshottam Shirgaonkar Road, UCO Bank, D B Marg, Shakhar Bhandar, Junta House and the new municipal market, said the sources. Traffic rule is very clear about footpaths and mentions that footpaths are principally for pedestrians.
As per Section 15(2) under the Rules of the Road Regulations, 1989, driver of a motor vehicle shall not park a vehicle on the footpath. However, there is no strict enforcement of the law, and as a result of people fearlessly indulge in illegal parking.
Many say that the lack of monitoring and inadequate parking spaces are the causes of growing illegal parking. A pedestrian said that the footpaths are meant for walking and not for parking the vehicles. Some recommended levying charges for roadside parking to discourage parking for long hours.
The mayor of the city feels very helpless in this case since he feels that it is the responsibility of the traffic police to maintain the watch on the parking situation in the city while in reality the traffic police are not seen doing anything concrete to stop the violations. The dream of smart is distant till the time there is no plan for the regularizing of the parking situation in the city.
SOURCE | IMAGES: SOCIAL MEDIA
