With an eye on streamlining traffic in the state capital, police has come up with a plan to set up women- only parking lots in at least three places in Dehradun. This move has garnered mixed response from people of the city.
Kewal Khurana, assistant inspector general of police (AIG) traffic, said that free of cost parking lots meant exclusively for women are being set up for two wheeler riders at Ballupur Chowk, Clock Tower and EC Road. “The decision was taken keeping in mind the safety and convenience of women,” he said.
Activists, however, raised doubts whether such a move will help in alleviating the vehicular jams in the city, given that men and women contribute equally to it.
“Issues such as traffic and parking are gender neutral. If women-only parking lots are being set up with an eye on their security, why don’t they (police) work on the overall security of women in general?” asked women’s rights activist Deepa Kaushlam.
“We welcome free parking facilities, but reserving some of them for women may not be a feasible idea. For instance, even if there is any vacant space in women only parking, men will not be able to park there, who will in turn, contribute to traffic jam by parking on roadsides,” said Mahesh Bhandari, president of Doon Residents’ Welfare Front, an umbrella group of resident welfare associations of the city.
{{/usCountry}}“We welcome free parking facilities, but reserving some of them for women may not be a feasible idea. For instance, even if there is any vacant space in women only parking, men will not be able to park there, who will in turn, contribute to traffic jam by parking on roadsides,” said Mahesh Bhandari, president of Doon Residents’ Welfare Front, an umbrella group of resident welfare associations of the city.
{{/usCountry}}AIG Khurana asserted that as many as 70 parking lots in shopping complexes are being made free in the city, of which only three have been kept aside for women as of now. “We have identified 70 parking lots in shopping complexes, of which 14 have already been started as free parking spaces while the rest of them will become functional soon.”
Asserting that the effort was to get people to use the facility instead of parking on roadsides, Khurana added, “People park their vehicles wherever they want to…to promote dedicated parking, we are working to give them free (parking) options. Besides, we’ve also increased towing charges from Rs 400 to Rs 1000 for those who park their vehicles in no-parking areas,” said Khurana.
More than 2.5 lakh private vehicles ply in the city per day on an average, besides over 270 city buses, 1,200 vikrams and over 2,500 commercial loaders and trolleys.