Walk as you please, park at your peril on Khader Nawaz Khan Road

Chennai: You can actually walk along Khader Nawaz Khan Road without making way for vehicles. Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and the traffic police have a zero-tolerance policy to parking on the city's second pedestrian plaza, after Pondy Bazaar in T Nagar. At least 100 vehicles have been towed off the cobblestone walking corridor and more than 400 challans issued in the past two weeks alone. The plaza, which was unveiled earlier this month, has premium businesses, including restaurants, fine-dining spaces, and boutiques. KNK Road, a hotspot for families, window shoppers and café-hoppers, has been turned into a one-way stretch, with entry only from Greams Road. At least eight traffic personnel are deployed daily from 3.30pm to 2am to rein in vehicles halting on the walkway or parking on pavements. On its part, GCC has posted 16 marshals. Commuters attempting to enter via Uthamar Gandhi Salai or adjoining roads and turning right onto KNK Road are turned away by patrolling cops. If they still park, they are fined.P Vijayakumar, joint commissioner of police, traffic (South), said the mandate is clear: no vehicles on the pedestrian plaza. "If there is a driver in a waiting car, we give him five minutes to move. If there's no driver, the vehicle is immediately fined and moved after a few minutes. We have put up boards stating that it is a ‘pedestrian-only' zone and ‘only drop' is allowed. People must have the awareness not to bring cars anymore," he said. Only vehicles belonging to businesses and residents are permitted, he added. "Even they are mandated to park inside their compounds and not on the pavements." Police have also floated tenders to install more automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras for automated fining in the future, reducing reliance on police personnel. Under a new parking plan, on-street parking is temporarily being allowed on Wallace Garden Road, Rutland Gate Road and other interior streets, without disturbing local residents.Vidhya, GCC assistant executive engineer, Teynampet zone, said unused park land in Rutland Gate 2nd Street was identified and is being converted into multi-level parking (MLP) that can accommodate 50 cars. "Another land near the metro work site close to Uthamar Gandhi Salai will house another 50 cars. The first MLP will come up soon, while the second will be taken up after CMRL vacates the stretch," she said. Tenders were floated on Thursday to construct the MLPs with access-control barriers. But the spill-over onto interior roads has left residents rattled. Members of KNK Road–Wallace Garden Road residents welfare association recently met the city commissioner of police, seeking relief from the chaos. "We are not even able to walk in the evenings as the lanes are clogged by vehicles coming from outside. Earlier, only shoppers and diners came here. Now it is mostly influencers. The pedestrian plaza and interior roads aren't able to handle the influx," said Shobha Mothinath, a resident. Another resident, Sudha Errabolu, said MLPs had already failed in T Nagar. "It is unclear how enforcement will work here. Converting a park into a parking facility is not welcome either," she said.