Ban galore!

Ban galore!
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: It seems the Bangalore city police have to rethink the idea of banning parking on 14 city roads as it has left people confused and asking for alternative arrangements.

People have already started parking their vehicles on the footpaths and the ban will bring more vehicles off the roads. Every time parking gets restricted, police and the administration soothe public by showing some alternative parking which usually turns out to be insufficient. This time too it’s the same story.

The number of parking areas and arcades in the city can accommodate only 25 per cent of the parked vehicles on these roads.

D Vinay Bomb, Chairman of the Electrical Merchants Association, said adequate alternative arrangements could solve parking problems.

“It is left to a handful of constables not to enough to take care of the heavy traffic at the Avenue Road junction. If the government improves the roads the flow of traffic will be smooth automatically. We too pay sales tax, professional tax, corporation tax, vehicle tax and what not, still we are denied basic amenities,” he said.

The association also accused the government of according step motherly treatment to common citizens.

“The government has taken up the infrastructure problem on a war footing because some IT bigwig raised his voice. But we write and complain and nothing is done,” he added.

Residents will feel the heat of jammed roads after motorists park vehicles on the cross roads. Manish Jain, a resident of Gandhinagar, said the no parking plan would leave the internal roads jammed.

“The parking ban on main roads will affect the smaller roads. There are thousands of vehicles that move every day in Gandhinagar and the residential lanes can’t take the pressure. We can’t leave our children on the roads,” he added.

Sunilkumar, Store Manager, Barista, said the no parking plan would put most restaurants under loss.

“On Cunningham Road some shopkeepers are not much worried as they have parking plots in the basement. But not all the shops are blessed with this facility. On weekends nearly a hundred vehicles are parked in front of our shop. But once the ban comes into effect we will lose our customers,” he said.

“There is no alternative parking anywhere nearby Cunningham Road. This road is already a one-way. Why would there be any restriction on parking at least one side of the road?” he asked.

H Parameshwara, managing director of Majestic Mobikes, said that motorists were upset over poor planning of city infrastructure.

“Had the administration anticipated the thick traffic in the city this situation would not have arisen,” he said.

“The city Central Jail area could be turned into a big parking complex. The government college too could have been shifted to Jnana Bharati and the vast area could have easily accommodated thousands of vehicles,” he added.