End to parking woes?

End to parking woes?
By: Chetan R
Date: 2008-08-08

Bangalore:



Relief: An artist's impression of the parking information system that will hopefully solve motorists'woes
You will no longer have to go around in circles, looking for parking space.

A system will tell you where a parking slot is available. Brigade road will go hi-tech with a Parking Information System (PIS), adding to its sophistication.

The proposed system is expected to be in place by end-August. It will monitor 85 parking bays. It will operate in and around Brigade road.

"Brigade road will be the first in country to have this facility. After automated parking, we will be investing on the Parking Information System. This will provide another service to those who visit Brigades," said Suhail Yusuff, secretary, Brigade Road Shopkeepers' Association.

Empty or full

PIS on street is a unique setup that operates through sensor system. Each of the 85 bays selected will be connected with a sensor outlet, which will, in turn, be connected to a Central Display system. The display screen that operates round the clock displays the number of the parking bay where the parking is available.

'Bays Empty''and 'Parking Full' are the key words on the display screen.

"This system is to decongest roads. Roads get congested, as most of visitors don't know the parking places. This results in slow movement of vehicles or double-parking which causes traffic jams. This can be avoided by PIS, as it keeps visitors well informed about parking place and status," said Suhail.

About 300 vehicles pass on this road every hour. As most of the shoppers park their vehicles in this vicinity, the PIS will help them. Parking is permitted for a limited time to enable more visitors to park.

The system will be implemented in other areas at a later stage.

Traffic experts appreciated the venture. "This is a very unique system. It will reduce traffic jams on busy roads to some extent. Its efficiency will be known after its implementation," said M N Shrihari, traffic expert.

Cost factor

The system will cost about Rs 49 lakh. It will have 85 sensor outlets, one main display and three sub displays.

These displays will be attached to traffic poles on Brigade road. Brigade road shopkeepers' association will invest the amount after BBMP officials and traffic police give their nod to the project.

Already 37 roads have been marked for automated parking facility. This includes M G Road, K K Road, Hosur Road and CMH Road.

Each bay has a sensor fitted, which is connected to a display system. When a vehicle is parked in a bay, the sensor gets covered and indicates a full parking bay. When a bay is empty, the sensor is exposed and it indicates vacant bay on the display board.

How it works

Each bay has a sensor fitted, which is connected to a display system. When a vehicle is parked in a bay, the sensor gets covered and indicates a full parking bay. When a bay is empty, the sensor is exposed and it indicates vacant bay on the display board.