Wrong Parking – An Illegal as Well as an Immoral Activity

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Almost everyone living in Karachi have heard of Tariq Road. Even those know have been to Karachi have heard of this one of the biggest shopping and business areas of the city. There are huge shopping malls, restaurants and offices of various firms. I am also one of many who use Tariq Road daily for my home-office-home commute. And I have using this road for years now. During all these years, I can hardly remember a day when I didn’t see a traffic jam on the road. The biggest reason of these traffic jams is the wrongfully parked cars of those who visit this area for shopping. It feels like car drivers generally, and bike riders specifically, consider wrong parking an achievement.

These issues are not just connected to Tariq Road or Karachi. But almost every big city of Pakistan has this problem where motorists don’t follow the law. It amazes me that people buy expensive SUVs but have no clue how to park their car. Some will just randomly park their car in the middle of the road just to get themselves some paan. And it is quite common that others start parking their vehicles behind one of such illegally park vehicles. Other than that, parking in a no-parking zone or illegally parking in common shared public spots is like nothing for them. Some of the illegally parked cars fall in these categories:

Parking in No-Parking Area

It is not only immoral, but also illegal. Most of the time people don’t bother at all, whether or not there is a no-parking sign. And even if they see a board, they prefer to ignore it like it’s nothing. But the fact is, not only can the police fine you heavily, but they can also confiscate your vehicle. It is our moral and legal responsibility to make sure we don’t park in no-parking areas.

Also Read: Women-Only Pink Parking Spots In China Are Being Dubbed As ‘Sexist Parking Spaces’

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Parking in the middle of the road

It pains me to write about such people who park their started-car in the middle of the road to get something from a shop across the road like it’s nothing. Such irresponsible feat can cause some serious traffic jams and in some extreme cases, road accidents as well. And then the owner of the illegally parked car will blame others for the accident.

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Parking in front or back of an already parked car

Although most places have very clear board forbidding motorists to double park yet you see people doing it. Sometimes people are in a hurry or getting late and they don’t bother where they are parking their vehicles. What if you are the one whose car is blocked by someone irresponsible and you are in a hurry to leave for some emergency. Think how annoying and troubling this could be. Double parking can also cause an issue if the road or street is narrow.

Video: Nissan Creates Self-Parking Chairs!

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Parking in front of a shop, mosque, school, hospital, or someone’s house

Although roads are no one’s private property but good manners dictate that you should consider others as well as yourself when parking the car. Parking your car in front of someone’s house or gate will cause them problem. Similarly parking your car in front of a school/university can create trouble for those who are regular to the area. Some people don’t think twice parking their vehicles in front of hospital gates even though they know ambulances need to come out and in on regular basis.

Parking on main roads and highways

First of all, you should try to avoid parking on highways and motorways where traffic flows at high speed. But even you are in an emergency and need to park it somewhere, make sure you do not make on corners. Parking on corners can be very dangerous. Those who drive on fast highways and motorways frequently know how dangerous it can be if a vehicle suddenly jumps in front of you. All those following the car in front might end up facing the consequences of such irresponsible actions.

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4 Comments
  1. Guest says

    1. Enough parking is not available. State has all the power, yet police and the other government institutions are tools of oppression (just like the colonial era) rather than tools for good governance. Government does not enforce the building by-laws on the builders & developers. As building by-las have ensured enough parking. In places where building by-laws are obsolete, it is also the responsibility of the state to update them.

    2. Pakistanis a society where people prefer to display their power. Anyone who does not display their power stand no chance in this society. Be it the habit of expensive weddings, trying to make others late by appearing late in parties/ceremonies, keeping very big aggressive dogs rather small cute ones, buying SUVs rather buying luxury saloons, or open-carry of guns and aerial firing, people feel internally worthless until proved their power on totally unrelated passers-by.
    Double parking, parking in the middle of the road, and being inconsiderate is also part of our national culture of displaying one’s power by showing others that, “I can stop you, I can thwart you, I can trouble you, but nobody has any power to intercept me”. All factions of the society is equally partaking in this display of power, be it rickshaw, taxi and motorcycle (poor people) or the large SUVs (rich people) or the Mehran & Corolla crowd (middle class), or the thailay and patharay (extremely poor class). Another example is “barrier culture” where streets or neighborhood are barricaded by the homeowners’ association, also a display of power to passers-by who are not even related to that neighborhood, by stopping them, making them go around and overall causing nuisance by making people keep finding their way.
    Delaying others is the easiest tactic of display of power, holding the line, driving slow in fast lane, picking a fight, being generally slow, going late to events, double parking, VIP movement, etc. etc.

  2. Muhammad Asad says

    Sad but true!

  3. Zulfiqar Ali Soomro says

    perfectly summerised.

  4. pakistani says

    But is there any legal solution?

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