Parking problems in 'New Dadyal'

Last year I read that Alum Rock Road, Birmingham, has the highest number of parking tickets doled out in the country. After the customary condemnation of traffic wardens, I thought nothing about it. Today, I spent the afternoon there shopping with my family and got first hand experience of why the place is notorious for its parking problems.

Alum Rock Road is a vibrant shopping area, consisting mainly of Pakistani-owned shops. It is often called New Dadyal, after an area in Mirpur from which many of the shop owners and local residents originate. You can buy pretty much the same sorts of things that the main shopping area in Dadyal has to offer- fine fabrics, jewellery, trinkets and of course, a myriad of eateries. It is the fabric stores that attract shoppers from across the country.

The similarity of wares and traders is not the only reason why Alum Rock Road has earned the epithet ‘New Dadyal’. Dadyal is also known for traffic chaos, though given the volume of traffic in Birmingham, the problem here is a lot worse.

I can’t remember the number of traffic wardens I saw today. All I can remember is that they were all busy completing penalty notices. Parking is permitted on one side in the morning and the other side in the afternoon. During my shopping trip, traffic wardens were dishing out justice to those who had violated the ‘mornings only’ side of the road. No doubt some people, particularly from outside Birmingham, are confused by this rule. Others just have a cavalier disregard for parking regulations. Whatever the reason, yellow notices were plastered everywhere.

One particular incident made me modify my opinion of traffic wardens and parking penalties. An illegally parked car- and incompetently parked given that its back was protruding onto the road- caused chaos when two buses coming from opposite directions tried to pass it simultaneously. They couldn’t do this; nor could they reverse back as traffic had built up behind them. A ‘desi’ solution was at hand. Four burly lads- all Mirpuri, I gathered from the expletives- decided to take matters into their hands after waiting impatiently in their BMW. They beckoned two more stout lads passing by. The six shook the car so harshly that it was no longer protruding. There was cheering as the buses and other traffic began to flow.