The narrow road of Church Street causes congestion due to parked vehicles and encroachments at the sides.
Bengaluru:Traffic stands still on narrow Church Street for as long as 30 minutes during weekends.The reason: the no-parking zone teems with parked vehicles and street vendors.
“There are a lot of shops, restaurants and pubs on this street.On Saturday nights, the place is very crowded. After 5pm, traffic becomes heavy as people park their vehicleson both sides and leave,” an HDFC Bank guard who refused to give his name informed The Observer.
Vehicles are parked on either side of the street, in front of shops and restaurants, by people who do not find space to park.Even on weekdays, traffic jams last up to 15 minutes.With vendors selling their goodson the footpath, pedestriansfind it difficult to walk. It is tough for them to cross the road because of the heavy traffic.
“As there’s no parking space, I parked my vehicle to get tea from Chai Point. I parked it because I knew I would be back in a maximum of 10 minutes,” said Ragunath M, an IT professional.
Autorickshaw and cab drivers park their vehicles on the road to wait for people who have booked rides. Also, people who do not find space in the parking lots of restaurants park their four-wheelers outside, making it difficult for other vehicles to move.
“I am waiting to pick a customer who has booked a ride to Koramangala from here. As no parking space is available, I parked my vehicle here,” an Ola driver said.
“It is the mistake of both the drivers and the police. Traffic police should tow the vehicles away. It’s not a place for taxi drivers to wait for their customers. They should follow the rules, and if they do not follow, police should take immediate action. It is the joint responsibility of both drivers and enforcers,” M.N. Sreehari, adviser to the Karnataka government on traffic, transportation and infrastructure, said.
According to Bengaluru Traffic Police rules, “Every driver of a motor vehicle, parking on any road shall park in such a way that it does not cause or is not likely to cause danger, obstruction or undue inconvenience to other road users and the manner of parkingis indicated by any sign board or markings on the road side, and he shall park his vehicle in such manner.”
Because cars are parked too close to each other, drivers find it difficult to take their vehicles out. At times this leads to arguments between them.
“It is irritating to drive because many vehicles are parked on this road,” said Anjana D, a student.
During weekends, vehicles diverted to the right near Empire Hotel move slowly due to congestion. “The road is narrow and it’s crowded,” said Venkatesh, a constable controlling traffic on the street.
Church Street, which is parallel to M.G. Road, is one of Bengaluru’s busiest streets. A hotspot of tourists,the road is filled with restaurants, pubs and shops selling clothes and mobile accessories.
