Illegal parking not only causes trouble for the citizens but also causes traffic jams during rush hours
KARACHI: I underwent a traumatic experience recently in Saddar’s electronics market. After 30 minutes of rigorous effort of trying to find a parking spot, I managed to park in front of Regal Centre, unaware of the trouble I had prepared for myself. I went into the market and upon my return, found my car missing and was told that since my car was parked in a ‘no parking’ zone, it was lifted by the traffic police. I had to walk nearly two miles to reach the makeshift office where I saw my car and traffic policemen waiting for me to pay the lifting fee and the penalty for parking in the wrong spot. Hundreds of citizens undergo this trouble daily. A lot of time and energy is wasted and in some cases, bikes and cars are damaged, for which the policemen bear no responsibility.
A couple of suggestions to improve the situation are to place signs in ‘no parking zones’ so that drivers know not to park their cars there. If they do, then it is fair game to tow the vehicles. Secondly, a proper space should be allocated in Saddar where people can park their vehicles. Saddar is the economic hub of Karachi and thousands of citizens visit its markets daily. Illegal parking not only causes trouble for the citizens but also causes traffic jams during rush hours. Efforts should be made on an urgent basis to resolve this issue.
Syeda Noorus Sabah
Published in The Express Tribune, November 9th, 2016.
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