New Road Turning Into Parking Lot

The government expanded the Bagbazaar road to facilitate the smooth movement of vehicles, but the traffic situation has not improved since more than a third of the road is used for parking.  

New Road is also turning into a 'new parking' space. Especially during festivals like Dashain, it is normal to take half-an-hour to pass about 200 metres New Road. 

The situation is the same in most of the market areas in the capital. The main road at Kumaripati in Lalitpur is also full of parked vehicles. Road side parking has created a menace for commuters, pedestrians and other vehicles. 

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office must act at the earliest to remove parking from the major thoroughfares and commercial hubs, such as banning four wheelers from entering commercial areas like New Road. As far as the parking facility is concerned, most of the traders in the shopping hubs blame the government for not creating the needed parking space. 

But it is also the duty of the traders to create parking facility for their customers. If needed, the ground floor of the commercial complex should be used for parking.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 3 October 2018.