Parking ban has been imposed on 15 more stretches across the city. The new stretches include sections of Rashbehari Avenue, Southern Avenue and SP Mukherjee Road in south Kolkata.
“The ban on parking on the new stretches came into effect on Friday. An ongoing drive identified these stretches as congested because of parking,” an officer of the city police said.
The curb will remain in place even after the Puja.
“It was observed that traffic would be smoother on these thoroughfares if parking was not allowed, especially on some stretches. We had more than 300 no-parking zones in the city. Since Friday, the count has increased by 15,” said an officer of the traffic department.
Some of the roads where the curb has been imposed include Tollygunge Circular Road, Strand Road, SP Mukherjee Road, Deshapran Sashmal Road, Sarat Chatterjee Avenue, Lake Road, Janak Road, Talbagan Lane and Jhautala Road, all in south Kolkata.
The city police have prosecuted close to 40,000 vehicle owners in the last two months for violating the no-parking rule.
A senior officer said private vehicles parked by the roadside were the biggest contributor to snarls in some pockets. In others, autos and other slow-moving vehicles were the main culprits.
“We have turned specific stretches on arterial roads into no-parking zones. The width of the roads and the nature and volume of traffic were taken into account while drawing up the list,” said an officer of the traffic department.
A notification issued by the city police on Friday included the revised list of no-parking stretches and also mentioned the areas that are earmarked by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation as “fee parking zones”.
Another officer in the traffic department said one aim of the drive to identify congested areas was to create awareness among motorists before Durga Puja.
New rules
Some stretches where the ‘No-Parking’ rule has come into force.
⚫ Jhautala Road — between Syed Amir Ali Avenue and Nasiruddin Road
⚫ SP Mukherjee Road — from Hazra crossing to Tollygunge rail bridge
⚫ Deshapran Sashmal Road — from Tollygunge rail bridge to Prince Anwar Shah Road
⚫ Tollygunge Circular Road — from Tollygunge Phari to New Alipore island
⚫ Tollygunge Circular Road — from SP Mukherjee Road to Menoka Cinema