D.R. Wijewardene car park:

Boon to space - hungry motorists

by Jayampathy Jayasinghe

It was towards the latter part of August this year that Lake House employees noticed a steady stream of privately-owned vehicles going down, the road in between the Regent Flats and the Regal theatre and entering the tunnel, adjacent to the Lake House building before winding up at the newly created car park - located where the Government's Building Department once stood.

It was a strange spectacle for many of us at Lake House to witness this never ending stream of cars either going to or coming from the car park. No one had witnessed such a sight in the past. As a matter of fact none of us were aware that the road going through Lake House premises was indeed a public road, not by any stretch of imagination.

Lake House sources said that plans are underway to acquire the public road by the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd (ANCL ) as it poses a great security risk to allow large volumes of unchecked vehicles going through the Lake House to the car park. Imagine the destruction it would cause if some terrorist group decides to explode a bomb inside the Lake House premises.

Consequences would be catastrophic with damage to lives and property. However this stop-gap arrangement did not last long. A new ramp-with a slope to the car park came up recently from D.R. Wijewardena Mawatha, thus avoiding Lake House.

The new car park opposite the Lake House is an enormous one abutting the Beira Lake, where over 800 cars could be parked with ease.

According to City Traffic's Senior Supdt. of Police M. Laffir, the idea of setting up private car parks in Colombo was proposed almost two years ago, primarily to ease the traffic congestion in the city of Colombo. But later it became apparent to the security forces that strengthening security in the Fort area was vital in the light of recent terrorist attacks in Colombo.

Almost two years ago Officers in Charge (OICs) of the Colombo Police stations were briefed by senior policemen to earmark a vacant land for the purpose of converting it to a car park. At that time it was estimated that more than 30,000 vehicles enter the city of Colombo daily.

However it was in August this year that when the Defence Ministry ordered that vehicles should not be allowed to park on main roads and thoroughfares in the Colombo City. The reason being that there were intelligence reports of terrorist attacks in Colombo.

Terrorist cadres were preparing to launch suicide attacks by exploding lethal bombs packed into vehicles. They did that, two months ago when bombs exploded at Green Path, Colombo 7 and along Dickman's Road, Colombo 5 where several persons were killed and maimed.

A motor cycle packed with explosives rammed into General Parami Kulatunga's vehicle killing him and several others. Fortunately an alert policeman was able to detect the bomb hitched to a bicycle at Borella that prevented another major catastrophe.

This being the case, the City Traffic Police and other police stations in Colombo were ordered not to permit any parking of vehicles on roads or any thoroughfares within the Colombo city. Vehicles parked on roads were to be hauled away to the nearest police station and released after a payment of a fine for towing charges.

The no parking operation got underway in mid August this month under the supervision of SSP City Traffic, Y.M. Laffir. OICs of police stations in Colombo fanned across the city to supervise the operation from dawn to dusk.

Almost all vehicles parked in the Fort area and elsewhere were rerouted to the new car parks. It was only then that motorists realised that several car parks were available to them in the city limits. But locating them was a problem, especially for motorist who drive in to the city from outstations. For the information of the motorists we give below some of the car parks available in the Colombo city.

(1)Charlmers Car park near the Khan Clock Tower - parking space -1000 cars.

(2)Gaffoor Building Fort car park- parking space -200 cars.

(3)The Lake House car park- parking space -800 cars.

(4)Hemas Building car park -parking space- 100 cars

(5)Transport Ministry car park at D.R. Wijewardena Mawatha Colombo 10 -parking space- 600-700 cars.

(6)Gamini Theatre car park at Maradana - parking space- 40 cars.

(7)Maradana Railway station car park- parking space -40 cars.

(8)Mati-Park car park at Grandpas-parking space- 1000 cars.

(9)Punchi Borella car park- parking space -300 cars.

(10)Campbell place car park at Maradana- parking space- 200 cars.

(1l)Dasa Building, Borella -parking space- 50 cars.

(12)Palmyra Avenue car park-Parking space- 100 cars.

(13)Durdan Hospital car park-Kolupitiya-parking space -100 cars.

(14)Bambalapitiya Station road car park-parking space- 1000 cars.

(15)Albion car park, Bambalapitiya- parking space- 84 cars.

(16)Lorries road car park -parking space- 150-250 cars.

(17)Malalasekera car park Longdon place-parking space -150 cars.

(18)Maitland place car park-parking space 100 cars.

(19 )Stanley Wijesundera Mawatha car park-parking space- 100-150 cars

(20 Narahenpita car park- Dabare Mawatha-parking space- 150 cars.

(21)Union Place car park- parking space-40-50 cars

(22)Opposite Ratnam hospital car park-parking space 600 cars.

(23)Nawaloka car park-parking space 300 cars.

(24)Stadium car park- parking space 50 cars.

(25)Liberty Plaza car park-Parking space 60 cars.

(26)Olcott Mawatha -World Market car park- parking space 400-600 cars

(27)Post office car park at D.R.Wijewardena Mawatha-parking space 20-25

(28)Fort car park-Hilton Hotel Central Bank and Hatton National Bank car parks.

(29)Manning Place car park

(30)Carey College-Police Morgue car park 50 cars

(31)Fort-Slave Island car park.