ity police prefer metered parking

City police prefer metered parking
Deccan HErald

A discussion on the controversial pay and park system in Bangalore is back. The traffic police advocated re-introduction of pay and park on 90 roads across central parts of the City to the BMP on Wednesday....

A discussion on the controversial pay and park system in Bangalore is back. The traffic police advocated re-introduction of pay and park on 90 roads across central parts of the City to the BMP on Wednesday. The police are also keen on abandoning the pay-and-park contract system and instead prefer automated metered parking.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, traffic (east) M A Saleem says the police prefer metered parking because of several complaints from vehicle users. “Harassment from those managing the pay-and-park system is the main grouse of vehicle users,” he adds. Under the automated meter system, parking attendants collect the amount, put it into the machine and hand over a ticket with the vehicle number and time; the ticket has to be displayed on the windshield of the vehicle. Vehicles without the ticket or exceeding the time limit can be towed away. A tow-away vehicle is parked strategically close by.

The metered parking system is now successfully functioning on Brigade Road and Commercial Street. In a City that has over 27 lakh vehicles, the pay and park system was scrapped by the former Mayor R Narayanaswamy on April 1, 2005. In the last week of March, 2006 BMP Commissioner K Jothiramalingam had announced in the BMP council that the system would be back on select roads in April, to the opposition of certain elected representatives. These corporators preferred continuation of free parking.

On Wednesday, Mayor Mumtaz Begum maintained that if the government issues a direction, the BMP will have to bring in paid parking. The government’s order stating that it has rejected the fee-free parking proposal has been recorded in the BMP council, she noted.

She said the BMP’s all-party committee set up to look into re-introduction of paid parking will be meeting soon. Meanwhile, the state government has also announced the setting up of a parking authority.