Jaipur: Diwali shopping and a surge in outstation visitors making wedding purchases have worsened traffic congestion in Walled City markets, including Johri Bazaar, with parking spaces increasingly difficult to find.Cars are parked in single lines along footpaths, leaving little room for other vehicles to stop and pick up or drop off shoppers. Drivers often halt amid moving traffic to let passengers get down, further slowing movement through the narrow lanes.“Finding a parking space here is a matter of good luck,” said a shopper who parked her car nearly 3km from the store she wanted to visit. Many visitors leave their vehicles at a distance and take e-rickshaws to reach their preferred shops.Shopkeepers said congestion was likely to worsen as Diwali approaches and the wedding season gathers pace. “Every year, I deploy a staff member to manage parking for customers and guide them while parking and taking their cars out, as the vehicles are parked very close to one another,” a shopkeeper said.Additional DCP (Traffic North) Hari Prasad Somani advised shoppers to park at Ram Niwas Bagh, where parking is available for five hours at Rs 50, and reach the markets on foot or by e-rickshaw.The earlier traffic plan, which introduced designated one-way routes and restricted the entry of heavy vehicles, ended on Oct 20.Somani said traffic police would prepare a fresh plan for Diwali to manage the festive rush, with enforcement measures to be implemented on weekends and other days, if required.
Parking at Johari Bazaar in Jaipur
