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Tourists have harrowing time in Shimla due to traffic snarls
Tourists from different states are thronging Shimla to beat the heat but traffic snarls are giving them a harrowing time. Shortage of parking space is another issue that tourists and locals are facing in the state’s capital town.
Tourists from different states are thronging Shimla to beat the heat but traffic snarls are giving them a harrowing time. Shortage of parking space is another issue that tourists and locals are facing in the state’s capital town.
“Due to the weekend rush, traffic jam is a problem but the police is managing it,” DSP (traffic) RS Negi said.
Locals are troubled by the traffic snarls. Sunita Devi, a Sanjauli resident, said, “It took me almost double the amount of time to reach the bus stand.”
Not only in Shimla town but commuters in Kufri and other nearby tourist places are also being troubled by the frequent jams.
Cops said due lack of parking space, tourist park their vehicles on the roadside to click photographs, which results in traffic jams.
“If a vehicle is parked on the roadside even for a minutes, a long queue of vehicles can be seen on the national highway,” a cop on duty said.
In Shimla, around 120 cops take care of traffic management.
Shimla has five major parking spaces—two near lift, one each in Sanjauli, Chota Shimla and near old bus stand.
But during weekends, all parking lots are full and tourists don’t get any space to park their cars. Moreover, most hotels in Shimla are connected to the roads, but these do not have proper parking facilities.
A tourist from Chandigarh Devesh Khanna said he had a tough time finding a place to park his car. “After a two-hour struggle, I found space for parking in a parking near the Lift on Cart road. But it had a full parking signboard,” he said.
After the administration got tough with them, parking managers are now following rules and also displaying the rate chart, which would save tourists from fleecing. There had been cases where tourists were charged manifold for parking their vehicle.
