Park at your whim but traffic woes to be grim

Park at your whim but traffic woes to be grim

The BMP is determined to do away with the pay and park system but has failed to come up with an alternative.
Deccan Herald

April 1. All Fools Day. And the joke’s on you. You can park your vehicle anywhere and in any direction according to your whim in the city.

Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) has decided to go ahead with its proposal on banning pay and park system from April 1, without evolving any alternative to regulate vehicle parking on the city roads.

As per BMP council’s decision, vehicle parking will become free on all existing parking zones (140 roads) and the parking contracts will be terminated by returning the Earnest Money Deposit to the contractors. However, the fee collection system will continue at all BMP’s multi-storey parking complexes and on Brigade Road and Commercial Street.

It may be noted that BMP had said that it will find an alternative system and was contemplating to hand over the responsibility of regulating vehicle parking (in parking zones) to private firms from April, by allowing them to put up advertisement hoardings. But it now seems to have gone back on its own words.

In fact, BMP took this decision despite the city police suggestion to not ban the existing parking system in the interest of traffic flow. It is the city traffic police which had identified 140 roads across the city, where pay and park system is presently in force. These roads were selected for pay and park system as there was heavy flow of traffic.

“This will lead to utter chaos on all busy roads. Who has to ensure that motorists park their vehicles properly on the road side in the absence of parking attendants?
If there is no alternative system, the city traffic will be badly affected,” the police sources warned.

“Let us implement the ban first and later we will see what best can be done about it. We took this decision in the interest of common man and people will definitely welcome it,” Mayor K Narayanaswamy, who took an initiative to bring in the ban, told Deccan Herald.

Police opposition

“To regulate parking and the traffic on the city roads are the duties of the police department, and BMP has nothing to do with it. We have only decided to stop collecting parking fee from April,” BMP Commissioner K Jothiramalingam said. When contacted, Police Commissioner S Mariswamy said that he too is not aware of what will happen from April. “I do not know. I have no idea about the entire issue. It is very difficult to regulate traffic in the absence of pay and park system. I have therefore written to the Government to retain it in the interest of traffic.

No decision on contract

Interestingly, BMP so far has not made up its mind on whether to terminate the parking contracts or to continue with them, despite the contractors’ plea to take a decision soon. “BMP has not informed us anything on the ban so far. If it decides to terminate the contract at the eleventh hour, we will be in trouble as we have to settle accounts with parking attendants and manage our own finances,” General Secretary of Bangalore City Vehicle Parking Contractors’ Association B Padmanabha said.