Tap alternatives to ease festive rush on roads in tricity

I am a retired NRI and want to settle in my hometown Chandigarh. The traffic situation is not satisfactory. The Chandigarh Administration should hire professional to deal with the problem. It can be solved by motivating people, proper management and monitoring of the traffic situation besides spending enough money.

Harjinder Singh Sandhawalia, Chandigarh

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Use space at schools 

During the festival season, open spaces and playgrounds of schools near city markets should be used for the parking of vehicles and the public should be guided properly. Valet parking should not be allowed as it may result in damage to vehicles. 

Dr Arun Chaudhary, Chandigarh

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Open more multi-storeyed parking lots 

The Administration may mull over initiating steps to construct more multi-storeyed parking lots besides utilising the space available in the schools and colleges, located near busy markets, during the festival season. Stringent laws and hefty fines may help check the problem. Residents may also help check the problem. The security needed to be beefed up. The public transport system should also be improved. 

Ramesh K Dhiman, Chandigarh

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Traffic increase manifold  

There is inadequate space for the parking of vehicles in and around commercial complexes in the tricity. Moreover, the traffic has increased manifold in the past a couple of years. What will the valet parking do in such a case? So, the use of the space in schools and colleges seems to be a perfect idea. 

RK Kapoor, Chandigarh

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Proactive approach needed

The traffic chaos in the tricity is a temporary problem. If the space at government buildings and educational institutions is available for the parking of vehicles, there is no harm in using that. The space available in the tricity cannot be stretched to accommodate the increasing number of vehicles. Prevention is better than cure.

Paras R Kalotra, Mohali

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Valet parking expensive option

Government buildings, including that of educational institutions, can be opened for the parking of vehicles during rush hours as long as the government property is not destroyed. Valet parking is an expensive proposition. Those responsible for haphazard parking should be fined. Special buses for the festive seasons can be started. This may help decongest city roads. 

Priya Darsh Growar, Mohali

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Long-term plan required

Policemen should be deployed at all parking lots. Schools and parks should also be opened for the parking of vehicles. Valet parking is a good option. People should cooperate and maintain their calm. Online shopping is a great option if one doesn’t wish to encounter crowded markets. A long-term solution is the need of the hour to deal with the problem. The Metro project and flyovers may also be planned. 

Dr Shruti K Chawla, Chandigarh

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Allow one-way traffic in busy areas 

The traffic situation in the city turn terrible in the festive season as people throng the city markets in large numbers. Opening educational institutions for the parking of vehicles is a temporary relief. Le Corbusier had planned the city while keeping markets on one side. The time has come to experiment with the option of one-way traffic in the most congested areas like Sectors 15, 19 and 22.

Harish Kapur, Chandigarh

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Make CTU service more frequent

Haphazard parking shrinks space for the parking of vehicles. The   authorities need to make the CTU bus service more frequent. The authorities may earmark three to four places in each market that can be converted into proper parking places with entry and exit points.

SK Khosla, Chandigarh

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Pool vehicles

Residents should pool vehicles while visiting city markets during the festival season. The odd-even formula may be adopted. Shopkeepers should voluntarily monitor parking of vehicles. Valet parking is a good idea to get rid of wrong parking. Schools playgrounds and the space available at government buildings should be used for the purpose. Residents may be charged for the facility and the revenue earned from it should be deposited with the UT Welfare Department. Traffic marshals should be deployed. 

Bharat Bhushan Sharma

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Use cycle tracks for two-wheelers

Chandigarh has introduced cycle tracks but has failed to encourage bicycling. These tracks may be used for two-wheelers. This will save them from rashly-driven cars. This may help ease congestion.

Kanwaldeep Gill

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Check encroachments 

To tackle the traffic problem, government institutes like schools, community centres and parks should be opened to the public. Residents should buy and distribute gifts well in advance. Buses should ply more frequently. Encroachment should also not be allowed.

Kamalpreet Kaur, Mohali

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Monitor situation

There is a requirement of adequate parking arrangements during the festive season in tricity. Government and educational institutes should allow the use of their premises for the parking of vehicles. For this purpose, contracts should be given on a temporary basis and the unemployed youth should be employed for the management of parking facilities. Vehicles should not parked along the roads. 

Col Balbir Singh Mathauda (retd)

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Police, MC need to work in sync

Roadside parking of vehicles obstructs the flow of traffic. Auto-rickshaws parked along the roads in Secors 15, 22 and Sector 43 trouble commuters. The police and the MC must act together to check the practice and penalise those responsible for it. 

Col PS Gill (retd)

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Enforce one-way traffic

Opening schools for the parking of vehicles is a good idea. One-way traffic should be enforced in busy city areas. As a long-term measure, the government must introduce a dedicated public transport system and the public should go for car pooling. Multi-level parking may also be planned in the city. 

SS Arora, Mohali

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Encourage use of  public transport

The traffic chaos is increasing with no viable option in sight. To counter this problem, the Administration should encourage the use of the public transport. A free bus service may be introduced to busy markets. The traffic choas is the result of a lack of communication between commuters and those tackling the problem. 

Dr Rajeev Kumar, Chandigarh

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Penalise violators 

Parking spaces should be clearly marked and information regarding this must be given through newspapers and other media. Violators should be fined. Adequate staff should supervise parking spaces. They should help people find a parking space. 

Bubby Soin

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Opt for online monitoring

The tricity needs the online monitoring of the traffic. Challans shouls be issued to the defaulters. The police should a smooth flow of traffic and guide the outstation motorists. The traffic police should earmark high-density areas and recommend the construction of underpasses and other infrastructure.

Sukhpal Singh, Chandigarh

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Start mini-buses

The administration should start mini-buses to busy markets in Chandigarh during the festival season from 11 am to 9 pm. Cars should not be allowed where such a facility is provided. Valet parking too should be introduced in congested areas. 

Opinder Kaur Sekhon, Chandigarh

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Charge more for parking

During the festival rush, Rs 50 be charged for a car and Rs 25 for a scooter. the space available at schools and other places should be used only a couple of days prior to the festival. Sufficient number of policemen be deployed to manage the flow of traffic.

Tarlok Singh, Mani Majra

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Don’t allow vehicles in inner markets 

Valet parking should be introduced as it will create job opportunities for the youth.The Administration should ban the entry of vehicles to the inner markets of the tricity during daytime. 

Sumesh Kumar Badhwar, Mohali

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Introduce underground parking in Chandigarh

If  a  densely  populated  city  like  Delhi can, why can’t Chandigarh introduce underground parking? Our   MP  should give this  project  a  push to ensure re-election in 2019.  

SC Luthra, Chandigarh

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Educational institutes should be last option

Instead of the normal parking sites in front of busy markets, select some vacant plots nearby or open spaces at government buildings  and convert these into temporary parking lots with proper markings to guide the shoppers. Educational institutions should be the last resort. People should drop their families and friends in the market, drive to the temporary parking and walk back to the market.

Tejinder Singh Kalra, Mohali

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Cooperate with Admn

People should co-operate with the Administration. It would be much better if they prefer to travel by the public transport or authorised taxi service during the festival season. Policemen should be deployed at every light point or chowk. signal/rotary while extending duty hours.

Bhupinder S Sealopal, Mohali

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Limit vehicles per family

There should be a separate lane, where feasible, for long-distance vehicles. Reduce the density of vehicles in the city by limiting the number of cars a family can possess. Each family should not be allowed to keep more than two cars. Encourage people to use bicycles. The police should minimise traffic bottlenecks. 

Col RD Singh (retd), Ambala Cantt  .

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OPEN HOUSE COMMENT

Explore valet parking, charge more 

Nitin Jain

COME festivals and parking woes tend to turn acute. The unanswered question where to park begins to haunt you as soon as you step into your vehicle to reach the marketplace to make a buy. With Chandisgarh having earned the dubious distinction of having the highest per capita vehicle population in the country, the situation seems to be slipping out of hand.

Whether it is market or any other public place in the City Beautiful, there is hardly any space to park your vehicle. And the situation is no better in the adjoining Mohali and Panchkula. As a cluster, the tricity region is seen grappling with parking woes.

Not that the parking lots are very few, the problem is posed by plenty of vehicles. While the parking spaces remain limited, and it has to be so, the number of vehicles is rising with each passing day.

Recently, the UT Traffic Police mooted an idea to open government schools located in the vicinity of markets, for parking. Having taken the Education Department into confidence, the traffic police even placed signage, prohibiting parking in the busy markets during rush hours and diverting the vehicles to the grounds of nearby government schools. But the Education Department is yet to throw open its schools for this purpose. This may well be one of the options but there is a need to explore more options to pare the parking pangs.

 Introducing valet parking may be another option. If done, it may not only facilitate the motorists to get their vehicles parked in a hassle-free manner but also provide employment to the unemployed youth, who are too many in this part of the region.

Another option may be an increase in the parking charges during the peak hours to avoid unnecessary rush of vehicles and those, who have no business, blocking and clogging the limited parking lots. Given the present charges of Rs 5 for a four-wheeler and Rs 2 for a two-wheeler, vehicle owners hardly get the pinch of parking as many times as they wish. If the charges are hiked and so fixed as to make the motorists feel the pinch, it will surely help in reducing the rush of vehicles.

Last but not the least, better civic sense, orderly parking, traffic police and those manning the parking lots to ensure no wrong parking, can help ease the parking woes.