By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 26: A large portion of road space in Shillong has been encroached upon by illegal parking, severely disrupting traffic flow at key choke points across the city.
A study conducted by Shillong Smart City Limited revealed that nearly 18% of the city’s road space is occupied by illegally parked vehicles, contributing significantly to congestion and bottlenecks.
Commissioner and Secretary of the Urban Affairs department, Dr Vijay Kumar D, said that to address this challenge, Shillong Smart City Limited has supported the state in developing several off-street parking solutions. These include the construction of a mechanised multi-level car park at Motphran, Mawkhar; retrofitting of three existing multi-level car parks at Anjalee, Mawlonghat, and Khliehiew; and the installation of stacked car parking systems at Polo and other strategic locations.
According to Dr Kumar, these initiatives have collectively created 1,371 Equivalent Car Spaces across the city.
He added that off-street parking plays a crucial role in reducing the burden on Shillong’s narrow streets by shifting parked vehicles away from roadways, thereby improving traffic circulation, enhancing pedestrian safety, and ensuring smoother access for emergency vehicles.
It may be noted that despite multiple plans for new road projects and flyovers in Shillong over the years, a concrete solution to the city’s traffic woes remains elusive. So far, the only major project under progress is the construction of the four-lane road from Rilbong to Upper Shillong, which is still ongoing.
