Traffic woes plague Visakhapatnam as city tackles parking crisis

Visakhapatnam: The bustling coastal city of Visakhapatnam is taking decisive steps to address its growing traffic congestion crisis, with authorities cracking down on parking violations and launching new infrastructure projects to ease the strain on its commercial districts.

The city, home to over 50,000 commercial establishments with more than 15,000 in the core area, has been witnessing daily chaos particularly during weekends. According to Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) officials, 30-40% of commercial establishments are violating regulations by misusing cellar spaces meant for parking. On average, more than 300 motorists and four-wheeler drivers breach parking norms daily.

Violations of parking have become one of the major issues in the Siripuram Junction, MVP Colony, VIP Road, Dwaraka Nagar, Akkayyapalem, Railway New Colony area, Maddilapalem, Isukathota, Sopalapatnam, Gajuwaka, Daba Gardens, Jagadamba Junction, Poorna Market, Ramnagar, Dondaparthi, Beach road and other areas.

In response to these challenges, the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Praveen Kumar stated that special drives and awareness programs are being implemented. The GVMC has allowed parking within the yellow line in certain areas, like near Sampath Vinayaka Temple, and the traffic police are actively issuing E-challans for violations. Traffic police data reveals substantial fine collections, 71,682 e-challans in 2022, 39,346 in 2023, and already 55,436 in 2024.

To further alleviate traffic congestion, the Vishakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA), with state government support, proposed a multi-level car and two-wheeler parking facility at Siripuram in 2022. This project has an estimated budget of Rs 80 crore, with Rs 60 crore funded by VMRDA and Rs 20 crore from GVMC under the Smart City initiative.

"The multi-level parking will be operational by November 20," announced VMRDA Commissioner Viswanath. "The five-floor structure will accommodate 450 cars, with dedicated levels for parking and commercial spaces on the ground floor." Additionally, a separate multi-level parking facility at Jagadamba is already operational with three floors, which approximately caters 90-100 cars.

The district administration has also begun targeting violations in commercial complexes, particularly focusing on cellars being misused for godowns and shops instead of parking.