On-street parking of cars on Puducherry’s Gingee Salai hinders movement of vehicles

Haphazard parking of vehicles along the arterial Gingee Salai and Ambour Salai abutting the Grand Canal that runs through the city has been hindering traffic movement leading to frequent traffic snarls and accidents.

With increasing commercialisation of residential areas in the Boulevard, people have been grappling with parking woes. The problem is not restricted to the French quarter but has also spread to the side lanes in the Tamil quarter.

Bumper-to-bumper traffic is common sight between the Atithi junction signal, the Gingee Salai and Ambour Salai these days. The situation gets even worse during the weekends and the few policemen on duty struggle to regulate the traffic.

“The Gingee Salai and Ambour Salai attracts heavy traffic as all mofussil buses, buses of educational institutions, and other heavy vehicles, entering and exiting the city to reach Mahatma Gandhi Road, have to travel via the two roads. More policemen should be deployed on the stretch to ease traffic,” S. Ayappan, a resident of Candappa Mudaliar Street.

Residents say parking on the roadside has become a norm for want of adequate parking space. Apart from restricting the space for pedestrians, it reduces the free flow of traffic. Some have more than one car and they park the vehicles on the streets.

According to an urban planner, “The majority of the commercial buildings on Gingee Salai and Ambour Salai lack parking lots. As a result, vehicles are parked on the road. This problem is severe in several areas of the city, including Bussy Street and Mahatma Gandhi Road. The roads were laid decades ago, and the exponential increase in the number of vehicles has made motoring a nightmarish experience.”

When contacted, a police officer, who is seized of the issue, said, “We have been acting against violators and imposing spot fines. However, many residents and tourists pay no heed to norms, inconveniencing other drivers and commuters. While clamps are used on four-wheelers, two-wheelers are lugged away with cranes and the owners have to pay fine to get their vehicles back. We will look into the issue.”