Chennai: A middle-aged man struggles to wriggle past two-wheelers parked along both sides of the narrow pavement outside a mall on Velachery Main Road. A few metres away, a woman is forced onto the main road, dodging vehicles speeding past her as street vendors occupy the footpath.
This scene plays out daily along the busy 2.5km Velachery Main Road stretch where pedestrians are left jostling for space amid two-wheelers and vendors encroaching on the pavements.
Residents voice their frustration over the lack of space to walk, especially near the mall and eateries along Velachery Main Road and 100 Feet Road, where visitors often leave their vehicles on the pavement to avoid paying high parking fees.
"It is impossible to walk safely, and the monsoon has made it worse. We are left in the lurch as many of these two-wheeler riders avoid the high parking charges at the mall and have also opted out of using a cheaper private parking facility across the road." said Jaya, a local who uses the road daily to take the MTC bus.
Mohammed, who runs a mobile repair shop along the stretch, said, "We keep telling these bikers not to park on the pavement, but they never listen. It makes it difficult for our customers to reach us, and it disrupts our business," he said.
Senthil Kumar R, a rider who parked his two-wheeler on the pavement, said, "The mall charges 50 for two hours with an additional charge of 25 after that. Even private parking is an expense we want to avoid. So, we end up parking on the pavement."
Srinivasan P V, zonal officer, zone 13, said the authorities concerned are aware of the encroachment issue. "We are planning to remove shops that have encroached on the pavement, and we are working with police to address this problem. We will look into the issue of bikers parking on the pavements," he said.