Gone are the days when one could confidently find parking for one’s car even in Goa’s busiest towns. Now, locating a spot to park even a two-wheeler is something of a herculean feat.
The lack of adequate parking spaces is felt across the state, but the issue recently came to the forefront after people living in Margao and Fatorda complained of busy roads in the state’s commercial capital and its periphery being blocked by vehicles parked along both flanks. They demanded that the authorities concerned take swift action against this daily phenomenon, which they said constricts already narrow stretches in some parts and inconveniences commuters.
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Buses and cars are even parked along the national highway that traverses through Fatorda and Margao, they said, and added that the resultant traffic congestion is worst felt during peak hours. Nightfall brings it own set of problems as sporadic streetlighting and poorer visibility mean that parked vehicles are often not spotted in time. Some residents claimed that due to this, they have seen motorists crash into stationary vehicles and sustain considerable injuries.
Then there is the issue of some vehicles being parked along roadsides through the day and night and some others remaining in their spots for weeks and months on end. The residents are right: Roads are meant for commuting and not to serve as parking lots. The alleged nonchalance of the traffic police in tackling this issue has often got their goat as the residents said that cops are quick to fine any vehicle that has halted briefly along a particular road but turn a blind eye tothose that remain parked in no-parking zones for hours.
Vehicular density has increased exponentially across the state, and while the provision of adequate parking slots or zones should have also risen with it, this is not the case on the ground. It is often seen that residential and commercial complexes do not have sufficient spots to accommodate vehicles proportionate to the number of apartments or shops that are constructed in each such complex. This leaves some visitors with no choice but to park alongside roads and sidewalks, which in turn, results in severe traffic congestion. A similar situation is observed at almost every market in the state where parking zones are limited at best and non-existent at worse.
The solution to this lies with the authorities concerned. There are already construction rules in place which mandate that high-rises, residential and commercial complexes must have ample parking spaces within their respective properties. The hitch is in the implementation of these rules. While few developers follow the guidelines, others tend to scrimp on parking spaces and use the vacant area to build extra units instead. Sadly, few are actually pulled up by the authorities concerned.
Goa would do well to take a leaf out of bustling cities such as Mumbai, where land is a precious resource. To ensure that space is wisely used, many complexes in Mumbai have adopted mechanized parking systems, and even tower parking which enables up to 64 cars to be parked on a footprint of three cars. Having a few such facilities in Goa would greatly help in clearing up our roads and smoothening traffic flow.
Secondly, construction rules must be followed in letter and spirit for both, government and private buildings in that each such structure should make provisions to accommodate vehicles in proportion to their anticipated footfall. Non-adherence should invite strict penalties so that violators become examples for others who may themselves think of circumventing the rules.
Until the government gets it act together, though, parking woes and the resultant chaos they cause will continue to haunt the state and its citizens.
