Illegal parking, wrong side driving a norm in Zirakpur

Satinder Pal Singh

Zirakpur, October 19

Though the traffic police claim to have launched a crackdown on illegal parking on roadsides by issuing challans to violators, the move does not seem to have worked as a deterrent for offenders as traffic congestion in the inner areas as well on the Zirakpur stretch is still a common sight.

Illegal parking outside shops, commercial establishments and roadsides along the service lane is becoming a nightmare for commuters. While haphazard parking is seen in the town as well as in key locations in the suburbs, parking of vehicles along the Zirakpur-Chandigarh stretch points towards gross violation of rules. In the absence of any check, residents have developed a tendency to park their vehicles on the roadside.

As a result, those visiting markets and other commercial establishments located along the Zirakpur-Chandigarh stretch near Lohgarh are often seen grappling for space to park their vehicles.

Most of the vehicles are parked along the roads, thereby reducing the operational area of the road considerably. This causes traffic congestion, time loss and inconvenience not only to commuters but to pedestrians.

Traffic jams during the peak hours and school hours are frequent at the Singhpura-Nagla intersection. Long queues of vehicles put commuters and local residents to inconvenience. Motorists can be seen stuck in traffic jams starting from the Zirakpur flyover till the Singhpura intersection. Non-functional traffic lights at this point aggravate the problem.

The stretch connecting the Chhat village and 200-ft road near McDonald is also leading to traffic chaos. People coming from Mohali take the wrong side and enter the service lane meant for vehicles going towards Chandigarh, adding to the menace.

It has also become an accident-prone spot. Several mishaps have taken place at this particular point in the past several months.

Sanjeev Kumar, traffic in-charge, Zirakpur, said challans would be issued whosoever found parking vehicles along the roadside. He said they were trying their best to redress the problem faced by commuters. He also urged people to co-operate with traffic cops in managing the situation.

No end to chaos at Singhpura-Nagla intersection

Traffic jams during the peak hours and school hours are frequent at the Singhpura-Nagla intersection. Long queues of vehicles put commuters and local residents to inconvenience. Motorists can be seen stuck in traffic jams starting from the Zirakpur flyover till the Singhpura intersection. Non-functional traffic lights at this point aggravate the problem.