Police: no choice; traders frown

Police: no choice; traders frown
The Times of India

Bangalore: The decision to ban parking on several arterial roads in central parts of the city from October 24 has not gone well with traders and office goers.
“But we have no choice. Time has come for citizens to prefer either driving or parking on arterial roads. Both cannot go hand-in-hand. Over 800 vehicles are being added everyday but the width of the existing roads remain the same, DCP traffic (east) M A Saleem said defending the decision.

However, a large number of traders and others (who get benefited out of parking on the roads) from Gandhinagar, Malleswaram, Cunningham Road, R V Road, B V K Iyengar Road and Kempe Gowda Road expressed their anger.

“How can you ban parking on the roads without making alternate arrangements,” a trader from Gandhinagar questions. “There are hospitals and schools in some places and a parking ban will cause inconvenience,” another trader points out.

Reacting to this, a police officer said: “In Kempe Gowda Road, alternative arrangements in the form of multistoreyed parking lot has come up. But making these arrangements is not our job. It is the responsibility of building owners to create parking space.”

Roads such as Sampige Road, B V K Iyengar Road, Lalbagh Road, Mission Road, Cunningham Road, Hospital Road, Millers Road, Gandhinagar 5th Main are not wide enough to take the growing traffic. Business activity has gone up here, he adds.

People have to park their vehicles in smaller lanes around these roads. Or else they should go for public transport or car pooling, the police suggested. There’s more. Parking will be banned on several other arterial roads in the near future.