Odd-even parking decongests busy Kalyan road

Odd and even parking system on the Shivaji Chowk-Paar Naka stretch in Kalyan (West) has decongested the area and made traffic movement smoother.

Odd and even parking system on the Shivaji Chowk-Paar Naka stretch in Kalyan (West) has decongested the area and made traffic movement smoother.

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After shopkeepers, who have shops along the stretch, and motorists complained about congestion caused by vehicles parked on both sides, Kalyan traffic police took steps to discipline traffic.

For the past five years, shopkeepers had been asking Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) and the traffic police to decongest the stretch .

“The congestion has eased to some extent after the P1P2 system was implemented,” said a shopkeeper, who did not wish to be named.

Last month, the traffic police decided to decongest the busy road from Shivaji Chowk to Paar Naka in Kalyan (West).

Traffic police took measures after shopkeepers asked them to act against vehicles parked in front of their shops, on both sides of the road. This had been causing heavy congestion throughout the day.

“Several hawkers occupy the road for most part of the day and the parked vehicles made the road narrower. The P1P2 parking has made travelling on the road easier,” said the shopkeeper.

The road has the headquarters of Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC). The traffic police had decided to declare parking zones, one-way road, ban entry and create diversion on the stretch, which has several small internal roads connecting to it.

“We have implemented the P1P2 parking system but implementing one-way traffic is not possible because that causes more congestion as the stretch has internal roads connecting to it,” said Sukhdev Patil, senior police inspector, traffic police, Kalyan (West).

The parking system was implemented since Navratri and is still in place. The traffic police claimed congestion has reduced to a great extent on the stretch after the new rule.

“After the parking system was implemented, congestion has reduced on the stretch. There are still some who don’t know about the system and park their vehicle and leave. We are taking action against them by warning them first and then levying fines,” added Patil.

The traffic police have put up boards along the stretch about the new parking system.

“I used to park my two-wheeler on the stretch when I came here for shopping. Now, I make sure to follow the new parking system,” said Sandesh Kulkarni, 45, a resident of Paar Naka, Kalyan (West).

The stretch, which has a line of shops on both sides, links the station through the market.

The traffic police have booked and fined 150 offenders for not following the parking system.

The police fine ₹100 from those who park haphazardly on parking zones and ₹300 from those who park on no-parking zones.

“Many are used to parking their vehicles anywhere on the road. They need to be aware of the new rule so that there is smoother traffic,” added Patil.

Motorists have highlighted the lack of parking lots in the city which has led to increased illegal parking.