Only 1,300 4-wheeler slots added in 3 yrs
The lack of parking spaces in Bengaluru has become a headache for car owners and drivers, especially in busy areas.
Latest BBMP data show car parking areas have space for only 2,670 four-wheelers, an addition of just 1,300 in three years.
Manu H.S., a cab driver working for Accenture, informed The Observer: “In the past, I was fined countless times. How can we find customers when the parking spaces are too far away from commercial areas? Once I was even fined while I was waiting for a passenger…. But what could I do? I am not left with any other option because it’s my only livelihood.”
Car owners and drivers say it has become tough to park their vehicles in bustling areas. They get fined continuously because of parking in non-parking zones.
Prakash B, who works with Mysore Travellers, a travel agency, said: “Ananda Rao Circle is a place where travellers come from various regions and leave Bengaluru. As there was no parking space allotted for cars in that area, there were a few instances when I had to wait beside the road for customers. It was for a few minutes, but I was fined about Rs 2,000. I can’t leave the area, and my company is not ready to accept any more fines.”
Shankarappa, head constable, Yeshwanthpur, said: “We don’t fine anyone without a reason. We go and talk to them. Mostly we warn them if it’s their first time. It is our duty to fine if an individual parks his/her vehicle in a no-parking zone.”
According to data published by the Karnataka transport department, from April 2021 to March 2022, 12,682 four-wheelers were registered. At present, Bengaluru has 17.5 lakh four-wheelers.
Basavaraj H.N., Assistant Revenue Officer, BBMP East Zone,said: “We have constructed three multi-parking space areas in Majestic, JC Road, and Freedom Park. Yet people are saying that they aren’t provided with enough space for parking.”
Jai Simha, Assistant Executive Engineer, Traffic Engineering Cell, BBMP,said: “In Bengaluru, on an average, 40 per cent of the roads are allotted as parking zones. In foreign countries, it is only 10 per cent. If we allow more than that, the city will be dead in the next four years…. We are planning to install some more parking spaces. Tenders are under process for the same.”
Prof. M.N. Sreehari, who has supervised more than 2,000 projects related to transportation and safety, informed The Observer: “We have offered enough car parking slots for people; it’s difficult to provide more places. We even started multi-level car parking slots and a few more are under talks. People should start looking for parking spaces to park their vehicles. If a vehicle is parked in a non-parking zone, we get the vehicle towed, penalize, and fine.”
D.S. Prahallad, Chief Engineer, Road Infrastructure Unit, Traffic Engineering Cell,informed The Observer that the plans are under process for the allotment of new four-wheeler parking slots.
A parking policy for Bengaluru first prepared in 2012 and adopted by BBMP aims to discourage the use of personal vehicles and ease road space for seamless movement of people and vehicles. The state government approved a Parking Policy 2.0 in February 2021.
vindhya.p@iijnm.org
