Tackle parking and one-ways

Tackle parking and one-ways
Suhail Yusuff

It is necessary to analyze the major aspects which have locked Bangalore:
1) One-ways, 93 of them, were made without any planning. It’s simple that if a vehicle travels from one destination to another in a normal situation in 10 minutes, the same vehicle would take 40 minutes to reach from one destination to another because of a deviation due to one way, resulting in more density of vehicles in adjoining arterial roads and residential areas in utter disregard to existing hospitals and schools there. Suggestion: Make unnecessary one-ways into two-ways
2) Due to free parking, especially in the Central Business District, vehicles park from morning till night creating an acute shortage for parking. Due to this, there is a lot of double parking hampering the movement of vehicles. If the earlier parking system (yellow ticket) was sick, it needed a treatment to get cured. Instead it was made free, adding to the confusion. Onstreet parking doesn’t create a problem; it’s double parking that creates the problem.
Suggestion: On-street automated parking on the lines of Brigade Road with time limit to be adapted
3) Angular parking changed to parallel parking further reduced the number of vehicles parked. If a vehicle is not parked, it is either double parked or doing the rounds searching for a parking in both ways creating a traffic problem. Irregular and unscientific bus stops located in close proximity to junctions is one more bottleneck.
Suggestion: All parallel parking to be made angular wherever there is a possibility of creating more space for vehicles parked.
4) New building in place of old without obtaining necessary licences or plans sanctioned led to construction without necessary basement for parking. No plans should be sanctioned without providing parking and this should be checked and penalized. The basic necessity to unlock Bangalore is to provide ample place for parking (on street), making parking costlier and time restricted that will enable parking only when it is necessary. It also will remove long-time parking and encourage use of public transport which should be streamlined.
Suggestion: Illegal constructions can be brought down.
5) The painting of roads for lanes and parking is a longforgotten system.
(The writer is secretary,
Brigade Roads Establishments Association)