No-parking, one-ways & traffic diversions to decongest Rankala Lake area

Kolhapur: The Kolhapur city traffic control department has enforced new no-parking zones, one-way routes and route diversions around the popular Rankala Lake in an effort to ease congestion at the major tourist destination. The measures will remain in place for 15 days on an experimental basis . Police said previous attempts, such as traffic diversions and designated parking areas for tourist vehicles, had produced limited success. "Under the new plan, the stretch from Rankala Tower to Rankala Stand, Rankala Stand to Tatakadil Talim Mandal and onward to Sakoli Corner will operate as a one-way route. A 50-metre no-parking zone has been established on all roads approaching Tatakadil Talim Chowk and the Jockey Building area," an officer said.Nandkumar More, city traffic inspector, said, "The implementation of the new traffic regulations at Rankala began on Thursday. We have noticed that many commuters are still unfamiliar with the changes, which is why some two-wheelers are unintentionally entering the one-way zones. We expect regular commuters to adjust to the revised routes in the coming days. These changes have been introduced to ensure convenience for the thousands of tourists who visit Rankala Lake daily."Traffic movement from Jockey Building to Sakoli Corner has been completely restricted and vehicles must now take a detour via Rankala Stand. Similarly, entry to the stretch connecting Rankala Tower and Jawlacha Ganpati has been prohibited."We are coordinating with Kolhapur Municipal Corporation to improve parking management. We have proposed the introduction of a pay-and-park facility near the mall on Phulewadi Road. We have also requested KMC to install clear signage for parking areas and traffic diversions. In our previous trial, restricting heavy vehicles for four hours (between 5pm and 9pm) proved effective in improving traffic flow along Rankala Lake. We are continuing that practice," More added.