Nagpur: West High Court road in Dharampeth area has facing the worst road congestion currently, thanks to the cars and two-wheelers encroaching upon road side areas. But the scene will be soon going to chance.
The traffic police are considering making the stretch between Law College Square and Shankar Nagar Square a total ‘No Parking’ zone for cars.
At present, cars parked on either side of the road reduce the width of the carriageway, causing a bottleneck.
The development of business activities on either side of WHC Road may have boosted the economy of West Nagpur. On the flip side, it seems to have taken a toll on the traffic flow.
Aggravating the situation, encroachments on the footpath also compels pedestrians to walk on the road, further narrowing the corridor.
Attu Pande, owner of a sports goods shop near Times Square, blamed the congestion on irregular parking. “Motorists and bikers are least bothered about any discipline in parking even if they are creating a second line.
Double parking has become such a nuisance that the wide road is reduced to barely a car’s width,” said Pande. Apart from blaming weak policing by traffic police, Pande also said that haphazard parking outside a few outlets needs to be checked,” he said.
Pande also pointed out that rampant encroachment on either sides of the road has worsened the situation.
“Senior citizens have no choice but to walk dangerously close to the zooming cars and bikes,” he said.
Dinesh Chhabra, another trader on the road, suggested that the entire stretch should be made a ‘drop-and-go’ zone.
“People should cooperate by parking their vehicles in the lane or in the paid parking opposite Sudama theatre. Walking a few meters will not only improve the health but also help reduce congestion,” he said. Chhabra too argued that unless authorities crack down on double parking, there is no hope.
“We can’t blame police too as there are citizens who drop names of politicians to intimidate constables trying to regularize the traffic.”
Shirish Bapat, who lives and has a business establishment on WHC Road, said that deploying traffic cops in large numbers at junctions would help.
“A strong reason behind spurt in vehicular movement on the stretch can be attributed to the fact that it is one of those corridors where no construction work is underway. Motorists feel that taking WHC Road may be easier but this has only increased the congestion,” he said.
DCP, traffic, Smartana Patil said that an ACP ranking officer would be sent to the locality to study the main cause of the congestion.
Police inspector Pradeep Lambat of Unit 2 of traffic police said that he would propose a ‘no-parking zone’ for the stretch before the joint chief of police for issuing notification. “Four-wheeler parking on the entire stretch has to be stopped. We have a towing van and also undertake other actions but they are not sufficient,” Lambat said.
