raffic management goes for a toss

raffic management goes for a toss

Staff Reporter

Haphazard parking of vehicles riles motorists

The police found it hard to control the crowd

Roads close to the stadium became parking areas

BANGALORE: While cricket matches are not new to the city, the Indian Premier League was a disaster as far as traffic management and parking was concerned. The hapless policemen who tried to control a crowd of 40,000, who thronged the 16 gates of the Chinnaswamy stadium, had to face the ire of harried motorists who had to compete for parking in an allotted space where only 40 cars could be accommodated.

The only parking facility provided was at Gate No.1 which has a capacity for 40 cars — only meant for VIPs, while 400 passes had been issued for entry at this gate alone. People who were denied entry parked their vehicles haphazardly.

Pavements and both sides of Mahatma Gandhi Road, Cubbon Road, Bhagwan Mahaveer Road, Queen’s Road, St. Mark’s Road, and Cunningham Road all turned into parking areas. Not an inch of space was available in the vicinity of BRV Parade Ground and Cubbon Park.

In the absence of proper arrangements, people found it difficult to find space for parking two-wheelers and cars. “I have not been able to find space around the stadium. I will park my car here and hope it will not be towed away,” said Sandeep K., an engineer, as he parked his vehicle on Mahatma Gandhi Road.Mr. Sandeep was one of the many who parked their vehicles on M.G. Road.

With no representatives of the organisers in sight, the traffic policemen had to face the ire of the people. The crossroad on M.G. Road which leads to BRV Parade Ground was blocked by police barricades, as the parking area was full. This further angered people who demanded that they be allowed inside as they had already purchased parking tickets.

“The organisers have not consulted us about parking and traffic management. Usually, the Karnataka State Cricket Association discusses its arrangements with us before the event. That hasn’t happened this time,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic East) Seemant Kumar Singh.

The police officer on duty, who was trying to manage the chaotic scene, said that he was bound by orders from his superiors telling him to block all further traffic on the narrow road.

With people having parked on both sides of the broader roads, the police could not control the random movement of vehicles.

Pavements at places such as Bible Society and Koshy’s Hotel doubled as parking areas, as people went on a hunt for parking space within a 2 km radius of the stadium. Vehicles were found parked around Queen’s statue, all along the King’s Road and also on the road leading to Bal Bhavan. Double parking was seen on Bhagwan Mahaveer Road and Cunningham Road. The narrow crossroad behind HAL corporate office also turned into a parking lot.