Citizen Connect: No space for pedestrians in Luz as footpath serves as parking lot for two-wheelers

Noting how the locality is one of the busiest stretches in the city, V Ganapathi, who is a resident of Luz Church neighbourhood for more than 30 years, said, “This locality has lot of showrooms, hospitals and houses. A lot of people visit here and use the space on the pavement to park their two-wheelers. Sometimes, even cars are being parked on the roadside.” 

He added that the parking of vehicles encroached the walking space, which makes it very difficult for people to walk on the pavement. “We witness many vehicles doing this, which poses inconvenience to the public especially senior citizens” he said. Ganapathi said that the hospital in the stretch has officially converted the footpath in front into its parking space. Even though residents and members of the public lodged several complaints to the authorities, no action has been taken to stop vehicle owners from parking there.

In addition to the two-wheelers that have illegally taken over the footpath along this busy street, street vendors have also worsened the trouble by setting up stalls, forcing pedestrians to walk on the road. This puts them at risk, especially during peak hours, lamented the people.

“As there is hardly any parking space for the retail showrooms, people leave their cars on the roadside despite this being a no-parking zone. The road is also not too wide. This causes traffic congestion during peak hours,” said Vishnu Priya K, another resident of Luz Church Road. According to people here, cars being parked on the road is one of the main reasons why the stretch witnesses traffic congestion. “Parking has always been a big problem here whenever I visit the stores here. Some of the shops here has converted the footpath into parking space. It is posing a real challenge for people of all ages to walk through this stretch without the fear of getting hit by the vehicles. Immediate action is required to bring about a solution to this problem. Strictly penalty must be levied from those who break the rules,” said Dharshini P, who regularly visits the shops here. 

When contacted, an official from the zonal office said that notices would be issued to the showrooms and the hospital to not allow the parking on the pavement.