Residents blame haphazard parking for persistent traffic chaos, worried it will pose security risks
There was a time when people would look to rent or buy near markets owing to their proximity to marketplaces. Now, these markets have begun to spell misery for those living nearby as the lanes get choked with traffic. Also, the area outside their homes have turned into unofficial parking lots for thousand of shoppers daily. Residential areas located in and around market places, such as Greater Kailash, Malviya Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, SDA Market, Satya Niketan, Punjabi Bagh, and Hauz Khas, are becoming more crowded and noisier by the day. Besides problems related to traffic, the locals are also getting worried about their security.
Kuldeep Singh Sawhney, President of the Sarojini Nagar Market Association, said the traffic issues and mismanaged parking have had a huge negative impact on their lives.
"A fire broke out in a shop and spread to the residential area. But as the roads were packed with haphazardly parked vehicles, the fire tenders could not reach the spot on time," he said, adding that he has brought the issue to the notice of the authorities concerned over 6-7 years, including Home Minister Rajnath Singh, but to no avail.
The situation is the same in areas around the Central market in Lajpat Nagar, where shoppers park their vehicles in colonies to avoid paying a parking fee.
"It is very irritating to come home after a hectic day and see someone else's car parked in your spot," local Dhruv Narang said.
Areas like Greater Kailash and Hauz Khas face the additional burden of pub-goers. Many residents have complained that two-way lanes are often used as single lanes, leaving no space for pedestrians. A few days ago, the Delhi Traffic Police had marked some lanes in the Sarojini Nagar market as 'no parking zone', a move that was heartily welcomed by weary residents.
EXPERT SPEAK
Parking problems are on the rise in Delhi markets. Every year, a large number of vehicles get added on the road but the area is minimum. I think the last mile connectivity plan from the Metro station to these market areas should be implemented soon, which may help in reducing traffic woes. Also, I feel the traffic authority should hold the right to decide the number of vehicles to be added every year in any city. Residents who stay around the market areas will have to bear the brunt of this, they too will have to pay and park their vehicles.
—PK Sarkar, Head of Department of Transport Planning
QUOTES
As per the plan, we are supposed to be allowed to park our vehicles around our homes. But due to random parking by shoppers we are at a loss for space. The police does not allow us to take our cars right up to our buildings, as some lanes have been marked as no parking zone. My 86-year-old mother has to walk all the way to the main road get in to her own car.
—Ranbeer Singh Bedi, Sarojini Nagar resident
Like most areas, Hauz Khas market area also suffers from traffic snarls. Despite having a parking lot, people prefer parking on the road, as parking lots charge Rs20 per hour. In my opinion, parking lots should not charge so steep fees for an hour. They should consult malls and take a cue from them as how they manage their parking lots with so many cars entering on regular intervals.
—Vijendra, Hauz Khas resident
Random parking is an issue in this area, but, lack of civic sense among the people is adding to the already existing problems. Shoppers eat on the go and dump on the road leading to garbage piling up on the roads. The already congested roads are getting blocked as authorities fail to have put dustbins at regular intervals, and nor do people look for a dustbin and discard waste properly.
—Saquib Siddiqui, Malviya Nagar, Employee at IT co
I think I just have to live with the fact that parking is never going to get better in this area. To reach to my college which is barely eight kilometres away from here I take over an hour to reach there. The major reason is random parking by shoppers. Even if you bring to their notice that they need to park their vehicle at parking lots or the other lane they will throw an attitude as if they own the place.
—Manav Singh, Malviya Nagar, resident
After a tiring day of work, one has to reach home to see that the designated parking has been taken away by an unknown person. We run from shop to shop expecting that we fin the owner of the car, this exercise is the most irritating part of staying in a market area
—Dhruv Narang, Central Market resident
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