New Road Turns 'No Parking' Zone

Bini Dahal 

Urban planning will always be a matter of concern for Kathmandu as the capital city is among the most unplanned cities worldwide.  However, the city is well-known for providing a myriad of opportunities for people living across the country. While saying this, it is worth mentioning that the city is also characterised by its overcrowding and parking issues.

Over the years, the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) and its successive leaderships have tried to improve the situation. But there are too many stumbling blocks that prevent any changes from happening. Any ad hoc action from the side of the authority is met with criticism and most of the times, it is blamed for not understanding the different perspectives of different stakeholders.

And in recent times, the leadership of Mayor Balen Shah has been both appreciated and criticised. Shah has been working hard to ensure that the roads are open enough so that pedestrians can walk freely. His latest step has been to make New Road, a commercial area located in the heart of Kathmandu, a no-vehicle zone. 

As part of this initiative, the KMC is working on clearing roads and removing parking areas from New Road. The authority has already placed no-parking signs at major locations such as Dharmapath, Mahabauddha, Khichapokhari and Bir Hospital. For now, it is requesting for compliance. Plans are on cards to take action if people keep on parking their vehicles at the restricted areas. The local government has also proposed to widen the footpaths and reduce the width of the main roads. 

However, business community people in New Road are protesting and blaming the authority for making such drastic decisions without taking their opinion into account. They are concerned that making the area a no-parking zone will negatively affect their business and ultimately the government’s ability to collect enough revenue. The authority has mentioned that businessmen should manage parking for their customers by themselves. And this has further agitated the businessmen. The metropolis has asked people to make use of the Kathmandu Tower, located at Old Bus Park, for parking purposes. 

New Road is popular as a shopping getaway for most of Kathmandu denizens. Therefore, it is always heavily packed with people and vehicles. Commuting around is very difficult. The KMC’s decision to ensure greater urban mobility is understandable. From its perspective, it is trying its best for improvements. But from the businessmen’s viewpoint, the KMC’s action could harm their business. We will only be able to analyse if businesses will go down or not after the decision is fully implemented. But, there is also a view that clearing roads and improving mobility can further increase the number of customers.

Amidst these differing views, the authority and the businessmen should come together and find a solution to the problem. Rather than having a direct negative outlook, analysing the pros and cons of this step should be taken into consideration. The metropolis area is already overcrowded and urban management seems to be an essential responsibility of the authority. Businessmen and other stakeholders should comply with and support the authority in its undertakings. 

But while saying that, consensus should be built and taking precautionary measures is also equally important. The authorities should not leave the businessmen helpless. Their voices should also be heard at a time when the economic sector has been going through a challenging situation. Positive synergy between the two is the key to enhancing urban mobility in Kathmandu.