Motorcycles get parking spaces in Darj town

Parking space for 50 motorcycles at the Motor Stand area along with space for around 35 two-wheelers near the railway station

SNS, DARJEELING, 14 OCTOBER 2020 : Here's high quality news for owners of private vehicles and two wheelers in Darjeeling. The Darjecling Police will now be allotting some more parking spaces for them in the town area.

The police have already started allowing parking for around 50 motorcycles at the Motor Stand area here, along with space for around 35 two-wheelers near the railway station.

"There are problems and complaints about private vehicles and motorcycles not being able to get parking space in the town area. Keeping that in mind, two parking spaces for two wheelers have already been allotted, but it is being done on a trial basis for now. The Municipality will later fix parking fees for them. However, parking for motorcycles at the Motor Stand will be allowed only till 4:30pm, as after that, the space will be used by food stall owners there," Darjeeling police Traffic OC Dorjee Sherpa said.

"Soon we will have some good news for private car owners as well. The police, along with the Municipality, have also completed a survey on this and mapped out such new spaces for private vehicles in the town area," he said, adding that these parking spaces could accommodate around 40 to 50 vehicles.

Mr Sherpa also said that the new traffic rules to lessen congestion, which had been implemented before the Covid pandemic, would he reintroduced.

"We were just starting the new traffic rules like pickup and drop points for vehicles in some areas of the town, with them having to park their vehicles in the parking lots for the rest of the day. But people seem to have forgotten them due to the protracted lockdown.We will again start implementing the same shortly," Mr Sherpa said.

Though the new parking spots have come as a relief to many, local people maintained that more areas should be made available.

"Earlier, whenever I came to town for some work, I lost precious time in looking for a parking space for my bike, for which I had to search all over the town. This is a good initiative by the police, but I feel that there should be more new parking spots as the ones they have started fill up fast," said a local resident.