Parking meter

Parking meter
Come 2007, you will not be able to park on the city’s arterial roads. A relief for traffic. But, where will those frequenting these roads park their vehicles? BMP’s plans of 20 parking complexes are yet to take off.

The Times of India


Forget making a beeline for that already crammed parking space on Cunningham Road, Bannerghatta Road or any arterial road in the city. By the end of the year, parking will be banned on all arterial roads (roughly 250 km) as part of the chief minister’s 10-point programme for traffic improvement in the city.

And while this will come as a welcome move to provide elbow room for traffic, what happens to all those who park their vehicles on a daily basis on these roads?

There seems to be no end to parking woes with office-goers, shoppers and others cramming vehicles on roads. In many parts of the city, where residential areas like Koramangala and Indiranagar are being increasingly converted for commercial activities, vehicles spill over onto narrow bylanes, crossroads and even pavements.

Haphazard parking, compounded by scrapping of the BMP’s pay-and-park system, has led to the police department filling their coffers with fines from ‘no-parking’ violations, the department is increasingly facing a harrowing time in dealing with vehicle thefts, damage to property and towing vehicles. After the pay-and-park system was discontinued in 2005, ‘no-parking’ violations shot up by over 1 lakh cases. In 2004, traffic police booked 1,43,839 such cases. The number was 2,47,190 in 2005.

Harassment for parking fee by traffic police and parking attendants, however, continues.

While more automated pay-and-park systems, presently on Brigade Road and Commercial Street, can help ease the present situation, multi-storeyed parking complexes are seen as a long term solution for parking problems.

The three multi-level car park complexes of the BMP — JC Road, KG Road and Magrath Road — though currently underutilised, are grossly inadequate to accommodate the traffic. There are also parking facilities at Shivajinagar, Shantinagar and Mysore Road bus terminals. The BMP has planned on a total of 20 parking areas in the city.

But none of these will be ready by the time the ban comes into implementation. As always, the citizen is left to fend for himself.

Parking light

A traffic police proposal has identified 16 places for parking complexes. Under instructions from Task Force headed by the home secretary, KSRTC MD M R Sreenivasa Murthy, in consultation with BMTC and BMP, had identified 40 areas to set up parking complexes in the city. Some of them include Malleswaram market, Jayanagar complex (above Janatha Bazaar), Seshadripuram market and Ananda Rao Circle.

BMP, however, is waiting for PPP so that these complexes materialise.

Police had suggested covering up portions of storm water drains to set up complexes or simply, increasing road space which can be used for parking.
Allow parking at vacant land around government offices.
Clear cellars/basements meant for parking being used for commercial activities. Some violators have obtained stay order from courts.
Underground parking system — mechanised operation with 5 to 6 floors that can come up in less area.

What you can do

• Use public transport.
• Travel to office by car pools.
• Send your child to school by school bus.
• Ask your company to introduce employee buses.
• Avoid parking for long durations.
• Automated pay-and-park system though expensive proves effective.

What Experts Say

Metro Rail a must
Parking problem has come about due to unplanned growth of the city. Unlike Delhi, where the roads are broad, in Bangalore they are narrow and there’s no scope for widening them. Metro Rail is the only solution to all traffic and parking problems in the city. If commuting is convenient and cheap, no one will bother taking out their vehicles.
— C E G Justo, traffic expert

Limit new vehicles
It’s easy to say that BMTC must increase buses. But where will they ply? Too many buses on our narrow roads only increases congestion. Vehicles being parked on the road leave only 2/3 of the road space for commuters. But there should be a restriction on the number of vehicles being registered. There are 500 vehicles being registered every day. In the next 10 years, we will have 45 lakh vehicles. The government must restrict the registration to 250 vehicles a day.
— M N Srihari, chairman, Traffic Engineer and Safety Trainers

AUTOMATED STUDY

Here’s a report on automated parking revenue/feasibility for 15 roads by Sohail Yusuff of Brigades Shops and Establishments Association that has introduced automate park system on Brigade Road.

Some of the roads:
CMH Road: From Indiranagar Main Road to 100 Ft Road Parallel parking: No. of parking bays — 40 for fourwheelers), 150 for two-wheelers. Angular parking: 80 bays for four-wheelers, 150 for twowheelers.
Around Jayanagar Shopping complex Parallel parking: 110 four-wheelers, 750 two-wheelers. Angular parking: 160 bays for four-wheelers, 750 for two-wheelers.
Malleswaram Road: From Malleswaram Road to Sampige Road
Parallel parking: 35 for four-wheelers, 650 for twowheelers. Angular parking: 70 for four-wheelers, 650 for twowheelers.
Rest House Road: Between Brigade Road junction and Church Street Parallel parking: 60 for four-wheelers, 200 for twowheelers
MG Road: Between Cauvery Arts and Crafts junction to Oberoi Hotel
Parallel parking: 120 four-wheelers, 85 two-wheelers Angular parking: 250 four-wheelers.
Church Street: Between Brigade Road junction and St Mark’s Road Parallel parking: 150 four-wheelers, 250 two-wheelers. Angular parking: 75 four wheelers.

Complex woes

The BMP has provided three major complexes — J C Road, K G Road and Magrath Road. Though inadequate to meet the city’s parking needs, all three are grossly underutilised. Turns out that each is facing problems.

Most of the space of the Magrath Road complex has been taken up by one of the city’s popular malls. Parking here is largely by those who visit the mall. Nevertheless, it is the city’s biggest parking space catering to 1,500 cars.

On K G Road, vehicles have various bylanes to choose from to park. “But vendors and small-time shopkeepers have begun encroaching on the space. They should be evacuated,’’ says Traffic Engineer and Safety Trainers (TEST) chairman M N Srihari. The K G Road complex can accommodate 600 cars.

On J C Road, experts believe the 450-car capacity complex will be utilised only once the ban comes through. “Why would anyone pay to park in the complex if there’s free parking on the road?’’ is the logic.

There are 20 such multi-level parking complexes being planned for the city. The BMP is looking to go the PPP route for such complexes. “We’re really crunched for resources. So we’re inviting private companies to open such complexes,’’ says BMP.

The cost of parking at a complex, however, is far from economical. But real estate in the city doesn’t come cheap.

Street sorrow
6 Parking on arterial roads (250 km of road space) like Wheeler Road, Chord Road to be banned.
6 Only three multi-level car parking complexes in the city (capacity 2,550 cars). Presently underutilised.
6 Grossly inadequate parking space for annual traffic growth of 15%
6 No action taken on basements, that are meant for parking, encroached upon by commercial activities.
6 Automated underground multi-level parking lot at Dispensary Road yet to see the light of the day.
6 Automated pay-and-park system only on Brigade Road, Commercial Street.
6 After scrapping BMP’s pay-and-park system in 2005, haphazard parking has increased. Where 10 cars can be parked, the space is being occupied by six cars because of haphazard parking.
6 No-parking violation gone up by over 1 lakh cases after pay-and-park ban was lifted. Vehicle theft and damage to property too has gone up.
6 Traffic police shot off several letters to BMP to reintroduce pay-and-park system, but there has been no BMP decision so far.