PARK,BUT DON'T PAY

PARK,BUT DON'T PAY

The Metered PARK-AND-PAY SYSTEM NOW EXISTS ONLY ON BRIGADE ROAD AND COMMERCIAL STREET

Basavaraj Itnaal.Bangalore

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Saturday withdrew the licences it had issued for the collection of parking fees around MG Road and Koramangala.
The Palike volte-face followed media reports on the introduction of the collection of parking fees in select city areas on Friday. Palike officials maintained that fees already collected cannot be refunded.
After Saturday's decision, the parking fee will have to be paid on only at the two metered locations on Brigade Road and Commercial Street.
The city has an estimated 25 lakh vehicles of which five lakh are cars and the number grows every month by 1,000. Building by-laws demand basement parking be provided which is always given a go by, often in connivance with Palike staffs.
The problem is aggravated in the central business districts as not only is car park not provided in the basement but the space is converted into a shop, hotel or even a pub. This at once cuts parking space, while at the same time the increased commercial space attracts more traffic.
Sources at the Palike legal department guesstimate that the number of stays against the BBMP demolition orders on such building by-law violations are about 1,500 in MG Road, Richmond Road and Residency Road areas.
This means the motorists are forced to use roadside spaces for parking.