More illegal ‘no parking’ boards in City

By Asif Fuard, Pic. by J. Weerasekara

A car parked ignoring the ‘no parking’ board.

More ‘no parking’ signs put up by the police have come up in Colombo contrary to a Supreme Court ruling that such sign boards were illegal.

The boards have come up at the Thalakotuwa Gardens in Colombo 5 where three international schools are located and parking has been restricted on both sides of the roads in violation of the Supreme Court ruling.

The Supreme Court in a fundamental rights case judgment last year held that permanent boards seen in most streets purportedly by order of the SSP (Traffic) were illegal.

The court ordered that such illegal signs be removed immediately and proper orders be made if necessary, in terms of the provisions of the Motor Traffic Act.

“In making such an order suitable arrangements should be made to permit the parking of vehicles at least on one side of the road at alternate times depending on the intensity of the movement of traffic,” the order said.

Parents said that due to the police ‘no parking’ boards on both sides of the road, they were finding it hard to drop or pick up children who attend schools in the area.