Vehicles encroach: Illegal roadside parking chokes traffic in Bhopal

Bhopal: Bhopal is grappling with a severe parking crisis, with nearly one-third of the city’s roads encroached upon by parked vehicles, according to traffic police officials. Traffic cops said the city currently has parking capacity for only around two lakh vehicles. Due to the shortage of designated parking facilities, nearly 70% of vehicles are being parked on roadsides, effectively turning major stretches into parking zones and reducing available carriageway for traffic movement.Traffic police recently conducted a survey and identified around 29 locations where roadside parking has emerged as a major concern. Police have suggested spots near these locations where parking space could be developed and properly managed by the civic body. Officials added that the municipal corporation has already floated tenders for designated parking lots at 14 of 29 identified locations in an effort to address the growing parking problem in the state capital.Among the worst-affected areas are MP Nagar Zone-1 and Zone-2, 10 Number Market, Bittan Market, New Market, near Rani Kamlapati railway station, Subhash Market, Rangmahal Square area, near Court Square, Chunabhatti Road, Kolar Six Lane Road, Bairagarh, Jumerati Bazar, Chowk Bazar, Hamidia Road, Bhopal Talkies area, Kotwali area, the road stretch from Royal Market to Teen Mohra, Fatehgarh area and other old city areas.Police officials said illegal and haphazard parking in these areas frequently leads to congestion and traffic bottlenecks, particularly during peak hours.Parking facilities have been developed only at a handful of places in the city, but these too are inadequate. At present, there are public multi-level parking facilities at only five locations. Due to lack of parking space at homes and markets, many traders and residents have effectively turned these multi-level parking facilities into permanent parking spaces for their vehicles.Basements of several residential and commercial buildings in the city have now been converted into hotels, shops and other establishments. On the other hand, many banks and hospitals do not have adequate parking facilities.Traffic police officials said they are already grappling with manpower shortage, making it difficult to tackle illegal parking across the city. Illegal parking on busy stretches in market areas such as MP Nagar, TT Nagar and Habibganj, as well as congested old city localities including Chowk Bazaar, has become a major traffic concern.Officials said police are now increasingly using technology, including drone-mounted cameras, to photograph illegally parked vehicles and initiate penal action against their owners.“Traffic personnel deployed at fixed junctions cannot continuously monitor entire road stretches at all times. Drone-mounted cameras help monitor violations over longer distances more effectively,” traffic officials said.Additional Commissioner Monika Shukla said that whenever a new colony or market is developed, it is essential that adequate parking space is developed alongside it. “If parking space is not created, people will park vehicles on roads. Unless proper parking facilities are developed, traffic problems will continue to worsen. We have sent a proposal to the municipal corporation to develop parking spaces at various locations,” she said.She added that multi-level parking facilities have been developed in New Market and MP Nagar and appealed to citizens to make maximum use of them. “There are lift-related issues in two to three multi-level parking facilities in the city. We have written to the concerned agency so that the problem can be resolved and people do not face inconvenience,” she said.