Pune: Haphazard parking at Balewadi chowpatty upsets motorists

Rujuta Parekh / TNN / Updated: Dec 1, 2020, 09:58 IST

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Illegal and haphazard parking of vehicles outside the makeshift chowpatty at Balewadi is causing a chaotic situation with little space left for movement of vehicles along the carriageway.

Pune: Haphazard parking at Balewadi chowpatty upsets motorists

Two-wheelers parked haphazardly outside the makeshift chowpatty on Balewadi Road

PUNE: Illegal and haphazard parking of vehicles outside the makeshift chowpatty at Balewadi is causing a chaotic situation with little space left for movement of vehicles along the carriageway.
Despite complaints from local residents and motorists as well as action by the traffic police, the illegal parking problem continues on the stretch.

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It is ironic that the civic authorities are still to act on the complaints by residents about Illegal and haphazard parking of vehicles outside the makeshift chowpatty at Balewadi. The parked vehicles of the patrons visiting the food stalls eat into the carriageway of the Balewadi road and often cause traffic snarls. On weekends, the vehicles are even parked on the footpaths. Taxpayer’s money spent on redesigning the road and widening the footpaths in the area, under the Smart City project, will go down the drain if such illegal use is tolerated.

According to motorists, no lane of the carriageway is available to drive past since patrons of the temporary eateries park their vehicles along the road.Coupled with wrong side driving, the nearly 500 metre stretch of Balewadi Road has become difficult to maneuver, say motorists.

Local resident Pooja Agarwal said, “This stretch is immediately after one turns towards Balewadi from Katraj-Dehu Road bypass. It is a busy road. Two-wheelers, four-wheelers, autorickshaws and tempos are parked along the kerb, effectively blocking most of the carriageway. The problem is worse in the evening when people step out for dinner. Hundreds of vehicles can be seen parked here and action by Pune traffic police has failed to deter people.”

Though the stretch has a wide footpath, parking space and two lanes of carriageway, motorists and local residents said that all the space has been taken over.
Nikhil Kamble, a regular commuter along the stretch, said, “Apart from haphazard parking, another problem that haunts motorists along this stretch is wrong side driving. People drive the wrong way despite little carriageway space. Most motorists choose to ignore the wrong side driving in order to avoid fighting. However, if this is not controlled, there could be a fatal accident.”
According to police inspector Prakash Mhasalkar from the Chatushrungi traffic division, a long-term solution for the menace would be sought soon. “I have recently taken charge of this division and I have received complaints about this issue already. I will conduct a visit to the spot to understand the issue and we will initiate action. We have a crane that will be pressed into service to ensure that this problem is resolved,” Mhasalkar explained.

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