Police to wheel-lock cars in no-parking areas from today

Jaipur: City traffic police will begin clamping wheels of vehicles parked in no-parking zones and on major thoroughfares starting Thursday, allowing drivers to move their vehicles only after they pay the fine.Traffic dept has procured 300 wheel-locks and conducted a seven-day awareness drive ahead of the rollout. Figures show that enforcement rates with these wheel-locks were about 10% higher than traditional towing. Speaking to TOI, DCP (traffic) Sumeet Meharda said one of the major reasons behind traffic congestion on city roads is encroachments and illegal parking. Despite there being designated parking zones or parking lots, most motorists avoided these facilities just to escape from paying the nominal parking charges."With these wheel-locks, enforcement against illegal parking has become faster and more convenient for the cops on the roads. Motorists shall understand that the fine amount for no parking cases is significantly higher than average parking fees," Meharda added.The traffic wing formed 80 groups specifically to enforce no-parking rules, each having jurisdiction over a demarcated area. The 300 locks were distributed among these 80 teams. Traffic inspectors involved in the exercise said teams will lock the front wheels of vehicles and place a printed sticker on the wind shield. The stickers will display the mobile numbers of the in-charge of the team for that area. Vehicle owners or drivers will need to contact the officer and get the wheel-lock removed by paying the fine.