Wrong parking aggravates traffic flow on city roads

Rawalpindi L: Illegal and wrong parking coupled with encroachments are aggravating traffic flow on city roads and cantonment areas particularly in all business hubs of the city and parking rules violations need to be checked strictly by City Traffic Police (CTP).

In almost all commercial areas of the city, the shopkeepers display their items on the footpaths creating problems for the pedestrians.

Large portion of footpaths and streets are encroached by the vendors, forcing pedestrians to leave footpaths and put their lives in danger walking on roads.

Wrong parking and encroachments at footpaths and roadsides are not only affecting smooth movement of pedestrians, but also aggravating traffic flow on all city roads as they are the main hurdle in smooth flow of traffic. Though, the city traffic police and civic authorities had launched a special operation a few months back, pushing the encroachers back and cleared several areas, but no permanent solution to the problem could be brought.

The situation is worst in Raja Bazaar, Bohar Bazar, Banni Chowk, Circular Road, Murree Road, Pindora Road, Tench Bhatta, Sarafa Bazaar, Mochi Bazaar, Sadiqabad, Satellite Town and other roads.

A shopkeeper in Banni area, Mushtaq talking to APP said the vendors encroach footpaths and roads violating the orders of the administration.

He said that most of the traders park their vehicles in front of their shops in violation of traffic rules thus causing traffic congestion.

"The administration should remove all the encroachments from commercial areas of the town to facilitate the pedestrians and streamlining the traffic flow", he said.

Altaf, a resident of College Road said illegal and wrong parking had become big a problem for the city.

"Traffic wardens are found absent from duty points and others make half-hearted efforts to regulate traffic, inadequate enforcement of the no-parking rules and parking space problem with encroachments have led to the traffic mess problem which is getting worse day by day", he added.

According to a CTP spokesman, teams had been constituted to lift vehicles on the parking rules violations besides impounding vehicles. He urged the motorists to avoid parking their vehicles in no-parking areas as well as on roadsides that lead to traffic jam and thus creating problems for the public.