“Below the flyover”, “Beside that Building”, “Not in front of my Shop”, these are some common phrases you would hear when trying to find a parking space in Nagpur, specially in places like Sitabuldi and Itwari. With growing motor vehicle ownership, the number of wheels on Nagpur roads are increasing rapidly. No wonder that the sight of random parking areas are frequent nowadays.
Where to Park?
As the people of Nagpur struggle to find a parking spot, they cram their vehicle wherever they find one. Even the non-living motorcycle gasps for breath in these cramped up spaces, same as their living owners do while they struggle to park them. Also, allocated parking spots are hard to find as you rarely see signage indicating a parking area. “No parking” signs are plentiful.
Save your Vehicle
Dare you park at a No parking zone even for a minute. Yes, it is an offence and every citizen should follow rules to make a civilised society. But there is a way to handle someone’s property, especially when it's not a government property. The vehicle that is loaded in those towing trucks, like a gas cylinder in a delivery van, has scratches, broken lights and sometimes other major damages, all thanks to the rough handling by the traffic police. Not only does a person have to pay for the no parking challan, but later has to pay for all the damages done to the vehicle. Meanwhile, there is no answer as to why the taxes paid by these vehicle owners are not used in providing safe and organised parking spots by the Nagpur authorities.
Awareness is another puzzle that no one seems to solve. Very rarely will you find a Nagpuri with a valid driving licence and figure out the meaning of yellow lines on the side of the road. A common man has been given no education of where to park and where to not. Few, simple instructions in local and common language can do the trick.
With every passing day, the roads of Nagpur will see more vehicles on them. Even the areas which are easy to drive around may not be the same soon. Preventive measures, starting now, will make sure that Nagpur residents don't suffer on commutes like the metropolitans do due to vehicles parked on roads. After all, there is a reason no one wants to leave Nagpur; everything is within a 10 minutes drive. If that luxury is taken from Nagpur, this easy going city may soon become an erratic mess.
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