The Thimphu traffic police have fined over 200 vehicles since last year for illegal roadside parking. The fines collected amounted to more than Nu 200,000. This active monitoring resulted in the successful implementation of forbidding roadside parking in undesignated parking areas in Thimphu.
The roads in Thimphu which are otherwise congested with vehicles parked on either side of the roads are now unoccupied allowing easy passage to any vehicle plying on the road.
According to Superintendent of Thimphu Traffic Division, Namgay, the regulation should be strictly implemented with an increasing number of vehicles every year. “Number one is to reduce accidents. Secondly, it is to reduce congestion. In town areas, when there is heavy congestion, it is all because of roadside parking. Even maximum accidents are from congestion and the congestion is because of the cars parked on both sides of the road,” he said.
He added roadside parking especially on a two-lane road is against the law. Meanwhile, he also shares some challenges while implementing the regulation:
“In the initial period of enforcement, landowners were quite reluctant to remove the cars. We want to thank Thromde for their assistance in resolving the issue. Secondly, the main challenge is that people want moral policing meaning they want us to be on the road every time and everywhere to give them directives. This should not be the cause. RSTA’s law is a basic law.”
He said over 200 parking spaces in Thimphu were also lifted to allow a swift flow of traffic.
Meanwhile, this regulation is also helping the Thromde’s regulation on enforcing house owners to develop residential parking. Thrompon said house owners have started creating parking spaces for their tenants.
However, the regulation has brought a new phase for the vegetable vendors in Olakha. Since people are not allowed to park on the roads, their businesses have been affected.
Norgay, the representative of Vegetable Market in Olakha says the rule has affected their business without a designated parking space in the area. “Earlier, it was allowed to park on the side of the roads. After blacktopping the roads, they have restricted any vehicle to park here. This has affected our business because earlier people would park their vehicles on the side of the road and shop here.” he said.
“Although it has been implemented for a good cause, it has affected our business. If people are allowed to park, we get customers. But now since parking is not allowed, fewer people come to buy from us,” added Harry Biswa, a Vegetable Vendor at Olakha.
However, according to Thromde Officials, since the market is built on private land, the vendors should ask for parking space form the landlord. Police are also encouraging people to use the multi-storey car parks which remain empty most of the time.
Kinley Dem
