The Times of India 25.09.2009
SMC Proposes Multi-level Parking
SURAT: Hours of traffic jams at Ring Road, near the textile hub of city, will soon be eased out as Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has mooted the biggest ever parking project.
Sources said SMC has proposed the multi-level parking facility at one of its reserved plots on Ring Road at an estimated cost of Rs 5 crore. The project has been planned exclusively for the textile hub.
"We have proposed the facility at one of the reserved plots at TP-8. This will solve most of traffic-related issues in market area," said additional city engineer V D Patel.
The Ring Road flyover bridge constructed by SMC to ease down traffic congestion on the main thoroughfare some few years ago was a futile exercise, at least on the 2 km-long stretch on Ring Road.
Snaking queues of vehicles in almost all lanes, by-lanes and on the main thoroughfare is a common sight throughout the day. The tempos laden with tonnes of grey fabric parked on the roadside, autorickshaws waiting for passengers and trucks making an unexpected appearance from small lanes add up to traffic woes amid little or no presence of traffic cops.
"If we have to reach the market by 10 am, we have to start two hours ahead from our residence. We are passing through gruelling experiences everyday. Now, traffic congestion has become a part and parcel of our business lives," says general secretary, Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association (FOSTTA), Devkishan Manghani.
According to Manghani, merchants from other states and abroad have a very bad impression about traffic woes in Surat, especially on Ring Road. Most merchants visiting the city insist on holding business meetings in hotels located in posh areas like Athwalines and Parle Point.
Manghani said, "The proposed facility is likely to solve traffic problems."