The Nainital district government has implemented an elaborate traffic management scheme before the Christmas and New Year holidays to ensure the heavy tourist influx at this time of year is controlled. The relocation is in line with the fact that the popular hill station is about to enter its most active season of the year, where thousands of tourists come to appreciate the winter atmosphere, scenery at the lakeside and the festivities.
The authorities state that in case of the inflow of vehicles to the extent of the parking capability of the town, the visitor vehicles will be halted outside Nainital and redirected to the car parks in the area. These zones will be the school premises, open spaces, and shortcut routes, which will act as large-capacity parking centres in the short term. Based on this, the tourists will be taken into the city using shuttle services that are organized to ensure smooth traffic without causing the strain of additional traffic on the small internal roads.
The administration reportedly indicated that after parking hits a set limit, usually around 70 per cent, then the access points to the town will be highly guarded and vehicles that have no parking reservations will not be admitted. This will help in avoiding traffic congestion and road mayhem, which have been reported over the past years, especially during the festive season.
To further reduce the traffic congestion, some areas, such as the Mall Road area, will restrict the entry of vehicles during the peak time. Depending on real-time crowd evaluations, heavy vehicles and two-wheelers might be further restricted. The police officers will be stationed in major crossroads to control traffic flow and direct tourists, and make sure that the emergency routes are clear.
The new traffic policy incorporates a strict parking policy as well. Parking without authorization, highway obstruction or parking in non-parks will be punishable on the spot. The governments have cautioned both tour operators and the local inhabitants to act in accordance with the reformed rules to ensure the safety and convenience of everyone.
To all the visitors who plan to visit Nainital during either Christmas or the New Year, the authorities recommend booking hotel and parking accommodations. The people who do not have assigned parking can be requested to park their cars outside the town and use shuttle services. Although it will change the conventional way of travelling to some extent, the administration is of the opinion that it will preserve order, congestion and make the travel experience more entertaining to both tourists and the residents.
With this strategy in mind, Nainital is trying to reduce the festival tourism and ensure smooth movement of traffic so that there are no disturbances to the festivities, as it normally happens due to overcrowding in the peak season of the holiday.
