A few hundred vehicles and almost triple the number of two-wheelers clog Dimapur’s busiest market road (NL Road) and it will be sheer luck if a motorist can find a place to park from Holy-Cross traffic island to Old Deluxe point. Both sides of NL Road are clogged with four wheelers as well as two wheelers on any time of the day. The problem becomes unmanageable during festive occasions and especially from November to March.
This only leads to the obvious conclusion that Dimapur City is in dire need of a multi-parking lot otherwise traffic bedlam will lead to daily chaos.
Dimapur Police is mulling the idea of asking shop owners along NL Road to compulsorily park their vehicles at the New Market multi-level parking earmarked at the ground and first storey.
This will offer space for shoppers to park vehicles on the roadside on payment of parking fee for a specific time period. The longer one parks vehicle the more will be charged.
The entry to the first storey parking level is from GS Road and exit at NL Road. Even for parking at the ground level area, entry is from GS Road and exit will be towards NL Road. However, the exit for ground level parking appears to be very narrow.
The DMC needs to clear all unauthorised vendors at the ground level parking at New Market for vehicle parking. It could also add to better traffic management if the top floor is also turned into parking lot.
The multi-level parking at New Market has been doomed even before being made operational due to faulty design and other issues. However, for the time being, it is the only option to solve parking problems.
- Nagaland Post