To ease jams at markets, 'right-left' parking piloted

Trial run at Krishna Market Delhi Traffic Police has come up with a plan to deal with haphazard parking in markets without central verges

- Hemani Bhandari [e-mail]

In an unconventional bid to untangle the chronic traffic gridlock plaguing the Capital's narrow market roads, Delhi's traffic police on Wednesday launched a pilot what they dubbed a "right-left parking" initiative in south Delhi's Krishna Market in Kalkaji. The scheme, which alternates permitted parking between one side of the road and the other on successive days, aims to replace the chaotic free-for-all that typically clogs these vital commercial arteries.

Experts, however, were sceptical, raising concerns over the difficulty of implementing such a complicated initiative.

Explaining the plan, additional commissioner of police (Traffic) Dinesh Kumar Gupta said, cars will be allowed to park on the left side one day, and on the right side the next day. “Currently, cars are parked on both sides of the road leading to chaos for those coming in and going out. However, if we park cars on one side of the road, traffic will ease for both sides as it will give more space for traffic flow,” he said.