Police, BMP To Enforce Blanket Ban On KMRP Roads

No parking on world-class roads
Police, BMP To Enforce Blanket Ban On KMRP Roads
The Times of India

Bangalore: Great roads and squat parking space don’t make a potent combination. And so, the traffic police in tandem with Bangalore Mahanagara Palike officials have decided to ban parking totally on World Bank funded KMRP (Karnataka Municipal Reforms Project) roads as also IT/BT roads.

At a recent B-TRAC meeting attended by all of Bangalore’s civic stake-holders, a key unanimous decision taken was — “Parking on World Bank funded Roads, IT/BT roads as also arterial roads... will be totally banned.’’ An initial list of roads is ready but officials reckon there could be additions and deletions before the final list is released.

The BMP has been raving for months about the upcoming 40 roads that sport specifications like 50 mm of bituminous macadam, designed to withstand the worst of summers and wettest of monsoon. So why the apprehension about parking? R Jaiprasad, project head for the World Bank projects and member of HC-appointed panel on roads explains, “After having invested Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.5 crore for a kilometre, why should such roads be wasted on parking space? Such fine quality roads will be wasted if half their width are eaten up in parking space. If parking has to be incorporated on road surface then ordinary roads will do,’’

Civic agencies also felt that Bangalore has reached a stage where only a total ban on onstreet parking will ease the traffic juggernaut. For instance an arterial road like the recently done-up Koramangala 80 feet road is broad enough but parking will still be banned to protect its riding surface of 40 mm macadam.

Justifying the ban M A Saleem, DCP, East, (Traffic) reasons, “We have reached a situation where commuters have to pass through three cycles to reach a green signal. Earlier, the only option was one-ways, now it is possible to have a total ban on on-street parking. Some commercial areas do need parking in the vicinity, we can’t rule it out completely.’’

In the first phase of the KMRP plan, seven roads are slated to be ready by October and yes, no parking on all of them. The ban on parking has already been galvanised on many of the IT/BT roads including Airport Road. SIMPLY Drive Maadi These are the seven KMRP roads slated for completion by October Luskar Hosur Road to 100 feet Ring Road in J P Nagar Kathriguppe main road from 100 feet Ring Road to Vidyapeetha Circle Padarayanapura main road from Tank Bund Road to Chord Road Kammanhalli main road from Marutiseva Nagar to 100 feet Ring Road Ejipura main road to Sarjapura Main Road N R Square to Hosur Road via Mission Road
Magadi Road from Mysore deviation road junction to Sunkadakatte