Double-lane parking on a road in Rourkela. Picture by Uttam Kumar Pal

Rourkela, Feb. 18: Traffic police have started posting banners and posters, warning people to refrain from illegal parking that has been creating problem in the city.

Illegal parking mostly on main roads has been causing heavy traffic jams in the city. Commuters and traders are facing difficulties and the traffic police have to devote most of its time in clearing the roads.

To curb illegal parking on the streets, the police have been collecting fines on violators, but it’s not adequate. So, the police have decided to launch an awareness campaign in this regard. The officials have posted banners and hoardings, discouraging double parking on the roads.

“These posters and banners have been posted at busy places where people usually violate the law,” said traffic inspector S.R. Singh.

Most of these roads have business establishments on both sides. People have been parking their vehicles on the roads in front of the shops. Due to lack of space, though the city police have allowed parking on the extreme left lane, the violators hardly bother and tend to park their vehicles on double lanes leaving a narrow space for other vehicles to pass through. During peak hours, the situation gets worse.

The traffic policemen deployed at the nearby square have hard time making way for other vehicles.

“We face a lot of problem as the vehicles are parked in front of our shops. At times, it gets tough for customers to visit our shops. We have been complaining to the police,” said Satish Sharma, a trader.

Local residents and motorists have been complaining about the double-lane parking and traffic chaos. The police officials sometimes divert vehicles through other routes, but they say it is not a viable option.

The traffic inspector said they did not have towing vehicles to remove illegally parked vehicles from the roads. “We are trying to educate people and if they do not follow the rules even after this, we have decided to impose heavy fines,” said Singh.