Residents of Calangute, one of Goa's most popular tourist destinations, have issued an urgent appeal to traffic police authorities to address the rampant parking violations that are causing daily traffic chaos throughout the area.
Daily Gridlock Plagues Tourist Hotspot
Local resident Walter Lobo voiced the community's frustration, pointing out that most roadsides in Calangute are consistently lined with parked vehicles, despite clear no-parking signage. Many vehicles are parked illegally right next to no-parking signs, demonstrating a blatant disregard for traffic regulations.
Lobo emphasized that traffic police should prioritize clamping vehicles that violate parking rules rather than focusing primarily on riders without helmets. The parking crisis has become so severe that it's affecting the daily lives of residents and the experience of tourists visiting the area.
Hotels Without Parking Facilities Under Fire
A significant portion of the problem stems from the lack of adequate parking facilities at many local hotels. According to residents, most hotels in Calangute lack sufficient parking space, forcing tourists to park their vehicles along already narrow roadsides.
Walter Lobo didn't mince words when addressing this core issue, stating emphatically that hotels without proper parking facilities should be shut down. This radical suggestion underscores the severity of the parking crisis and the desperation felt by long-term residents.
Peak Season Exacerbates Existing Problems
Another Calangute resident, Kristy Fernandez, warned that unless authorities take decisive action, parking violations will continue unchecked. The problem extends beyond tourist vehicles to include numerous rental bikes and cars that further congest the limited road space.
The situation has worsened with the beginning of the peak tourist season. The Calangute-Candolim road is experiencing particularly heavy traffic, with frequent jams occurring at the narrow stretch between the Ximer-Candolim football ground.
This bottleneck, combined with the illegal parking along roadsides, creates a perfect storm of traffic congestion that affects everyone trying to navigate through Calangute during what should be the area's most prosperous time of year.
