Unauthorised parking along metro sites a hazard

JAIPUR: Parking of vehicles by residents and shopkeepers on congested roads near Jaipur Metro sites has raised the possibility of the accidents manifold near these areas.
Since the Metro will run on routes that have high traffic densities, barricades are erected in the middle of these roads increasing the difficulties for travellers until the project is ready.
However, the traffic police and the district administration have literally done nothing for smooth flow of traffic in these high accident prone zones.
Ankur Tiwari, a resident of Vaishali Nagar, who travels daily near the Metro sites, said, "Because of the many vehicles parked near the roadside, the space is so congested and the lanes are not commuter friendly."
Karan Pandey, a shopkeeper in the New Sanganer area, said, "As the parking area is far from here, people tend to park their vehicles in front of the shops causing traffic jams. No strict action has been taken against the defaulters."
Areas near Sodala, New Sanganer, Ajmer highway, where Metro work is at its peak, traffic jams are caused due to unauthorized parking. Though authorities have decided to develop more temporary parking, nothing concrete has been so far in this regard.
In these areas, mini- and low-floor buses are often found stopping in middle of the road which is a high risk for passengers boarding and getting off from the vehicles.
Vaishali Gupta, a student said, "The traffic jams are common near construction sites and often commuters are in a hurry and violate rules. On the top of that, heavy vehicles drive rashly making it more serious. The officials must ensure discipline, mainly in such risk-prone areas."
Moreover, the footpaths on these roads are encroached upon the shopkeepers and hawkers leaving no space for pedestrians. Hence, they are forced to walk on the road crowded by vehicles. And many people to avoid long distances are travelling on wrong side.
"The department should depute more staff near these sites and keep a strict vigil here. A drive should also be conducted and all the footpaths should be made encroachment-free," Govind Saini, a resident living close-by to the metro construction site, said.
The narrow corridor left on the roads for heavy traffic coupled with work done by heavy machines, posed a lot of risk to commuters. In two years from now, i.e. 2014, the peak-hour traffic density on the east-west corridor will reach around 10,000 commuters.
"It is not possible for us to stop the traffic. Wherever possible, we have diverted the heavy vehicles but it is not possible at all construction sites. Residents and commuters have to be patient and drive responsibly," a traffic official said.