Metro closes CMH Road

Metro closes CMH Road
BY AMIT S. UPADHYE
BENGALURU


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If the South Parade (MG Road) Metro work is slowing you down, get ready for similar treatment on the Chinmaya Mission Hospital Road.

Only things could get a little worse here. Movement of vehicles and parking will be banned on CMH road once the Metro takes over.

There’s more traffic trouble in the making as the Old Madras Road and Airport Road will see greater congestion with vehicles being diverted from CMH Road to these two main roads. People have little time left to get used to the new scheme of things as the stretch between the Adarsha the atre and the Indiranagar 100-feet Road and CMH Road junction will soon be barricaded.

“The police and Metro officials are holding regular meetings to solve problems which will surface once the restrictions on traffic are in place over the next four days. Parking will be the major problem for the shoppers and the office goers since the crossroads of CMH Road will be utilised exclusively as drive way,” Additional Commissioner of Police (traffic and security) Pravin Sood told this newspaper.

? Parking meters to be installed on 37 roads in Bengaluru.

? Meters on Residency Road, MG Road, SJP Road, Dickenson Road, Infantry Road ? BBMP expects Rs 15 cr per year from pay-and-park system.

? Traders to be roped in on PPP basis. If the Bruhat Ben galuru Mahanagara Palike has its way in reintroducing pay-and-park system at 37 identified roads in Bengaluru, BBMP could get richer by at least 15 crore annually.

As per the proposal in parking policy, the BBMP has already prepared calculation on parking strategy on all 37 roads aiming at raking up moolah to its kitty.

Bengaluru traffic police who had been pressing for reintroduction of pay-andpark system have approved the identified roads for payand-park system.

Traffic police had dashed off letters to BBMP commissioner to reintroduce the pay-and-park system.

The state government’s decision to reintroduce payand-park fee has brought smile on the faces of BBMP and traffic police authorities.

BBMP, in association with traffic police, have identified some major roads including Residency Road, MG Road, SJP Road, Dickenson Road, K Kamaraj Road, Infantry Road, Vijay Mallya Road and others.

Levying of parking fee plays a vital role in tackling parking woes in the city.

BBMP has sought the government to exempt it from Karnataka Transparency and Procurement Act for inviting tenders for implementation of metered parking system in Bengaluru, BBMP sources said.

BBMP has also proposed for implementation of the same on PPP (Public Private Partnership) module by roping in various traders’ association of the respective areas.

“Based on the success of metered parking at Brigade Road and Commercial Street with the support of traders association, it has been planned to introduce in other parts of the city,” the sources said. “Traders at the identified roads will be involved. A ratio of 60-40 per cent has been worked out between traders’ association and BBMP respectively about this,” the official sources added.

Variable parking fee could be adapted with higher parking fee during peak hours and lower parking fee at off peak hours, the official sources added.

With this, pay-and-park would be reintroduced in the city after the lapse of three years, which was scrapped by the then mayor Mr R. Narayanaswamy in April, 2005.