Pedestrians of Guwahati struggle to navigate the city’s footpaths. The footpaths in front of offices, banks, and other commercial buildings on GS Road, MRD Road, and RG Baruah Road are always occupied by two-wheelers.
Other locations, such as Beltola Chariali, Paltan Bazar, Fancy Bazar, and Fatasil Ambari, have also had their footpaths transformed into proper parking lots.
Also, these areas are rife with the practise of leaving cars parked in “no parking zones.” To make things even worse, street sellers occupy what little room there is left, making the situation for pedestrians even worse. Residents of the area have complained about the matter repeatedly, but the relevant authorities have not yet handled it.
Neelam Das, a local resident, told TOI, “Pavements should be pedestrian friendly. Not only bikers, even street vendors occupy them, leaving no space for the pedestrians for whom the sidewalks were made. The civic body should come up with strict parking rules and also ensure that they are enforced.”
Meanwhile, Shashanka Deka, a biker, stated, “Our roads are narrow with no parking space. Once a good traffic management system comes into place with a good number of parking lots, the issue will be resolved.”
Moreover, a GMC representative stated, “Resolving the parking issue has been one of our top priorities. We recently held a joint meeting with the commissioner of police, PWD and transport office, during which we decided to conduct a survey for the purpose.”
