With poor police surveillance and legal action, the footpaths reserved for pedestrians along major city roads have become illegal parking spots for taxis and other vehicles. Despite frequent complaints from residents’ associations and citizens’ clubs, the encroachment of footpaths continues.
Mostly, walkways along the road with no protective railing are misused for reckless parking. Some private auditoriums without adequate parking facilities for visitors also encourage the practice. On holidays, several motorists leave their vehicles on footpaths for hours while they go shopping.
Residents’ associations point out that several stretches on the Kozhikode mini bypass road are used for illegal parking. The same is the case on both sides of the Sarovaram Biopark, where police patrol fails to book offenders, they allege.
‘Tiles damaged’
“Due to the frequent movement of heavy and light motor vehicles, interlocking tiles have been damaged in several locations. On the mini bypass road, traffic congestion is increasing with vehicles rushing to occupy vacant spaces,” says Malakkal Babu, a resident of Karaparambu, adding that motorists hardly pay attention to pedestrians’ objections.
Inadequate parking space available for shops and commercial establishments along Mavoor Road and Kannur Road too have led to the misuse of footpaths on both side of the roads. Though police patrol units have wheel clamps and cranes to act tough on instances of illegal parking, they rarely use it to free up footpaths and encroached walkways.
“The police are only concerned about removing vehicles found in no-parking areas, and that too during visits of ministers or other important persons,” says K.T. Abdulla, an employee of a software firm. He says the encroachment of footpaths and walkways could lead to freak accidents involving pedestrians.