Parking: To pay or not to pay

Parking: To pay or not to pay
Deccan Herald

Though the traffic police is in favour of re-introducing paid parking system on 90 roads in the City, the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike is yet to say the final word on it.

On Thursday, the BMP constituted an all-party committee headed by Mayor Mumtaz Begum to look into the matter.

The general public seem to be more worried about the safety of their vehicles than the dent in their purse.

When contacted by Deccan Herald, members of the general public had mixed reactions on the issue.

Pay and park failed because vehicle owners were exploited by vested elements.

They collected parking fee even when there was no authorised parking lot.

With automated parking lots (like those in operation at Commercial Street and Brigade Road), the money is collected without giving a receipt.

Instead few parking complexes should be put up; vehicles are safer that way.

Prithviraj,

Defence employee

I have not used the automated parking meters till date. But it seems a good idea. I would be paying for the safety of my vehicle. Though there is no parking fee right now, I often see attendants hanging about in most of the parking lots. In the places I haunt, I am familiar with these attendants and I have had no reason to be worried. As I see it, the old paid parking system (where contractors and their attendants) managed the show was good because it gave jobs to some people like the attendants.

Lokesh,

Bio-technology student

Paid parking system may not necessarily guarantee no-theft and no-dents, yet my family feels mentally secure about the vehicle when it is parked in a paid parking lot. Automated parking system like the one on Brigade Road is good but the time regulations should be modified. The present system of buying tickets for a certain number of hours works out costly on the working population who have to park their vehicles for longer hours. The government should seek to address these things.

Nelaanjana Banerjee,

TV journalist

Automated parking systems are a pain. The attendants harass you even if you are late by just 15 minutes after the expiry if your allotted parking time. It is better to have a time-based parking system like in the malls - where you register your vehicle while parking, and while exiting pay the fixed sum for the number of hours the vehicle was parked. I am not in favour of a return to the paid parking system. There is no guarantee that the fee I pay will be well utilised.

Gaurav, Techie

I am game for anything long as I get a parking slot and my vehicle is safe. I avoid places like MG Road because there is never a parking space when I want it.

Shweta Kaushal,

PR Manager

I want safety for my vehicle and I am willing to pay if that is guaranteed.

A fee of Rs 5 to Rs 10 irrespective of the number of hours parked should be ideal.

Mudith,

Engineering student

Automated parking or otherwise, cost is an issue. The fee in parking complexes - like in KG Road complex - is high.

But I am for paid parking because it gives a sense of security.

S Parthasarathy,

Businessman