Tackling the parking problems in the city

Tackling the parking problems in the city

Basavaraj Itnaal. Bangalore
The traffic police decide where parking can or cannot be allowed. It puts up 'no parking' signs wherever it deems fit. But rest of the zones is open for parking.
BBMP comes into the picture only if it has licensed some contractors to collect parking fees. While its duty includes provision of multi-level car parks and regulation of parking space in the basement of the buildings, road side parking is not part of BBMP duties.
Former mayor R Narayanaswamy said it is the police who should take care of vehicles parked on the road sides as it was part of policing. "Even when parking contractors were operating, vehicle theft did not come down," he reminded.
The 37 stretches where the BBMP has proposed to introduce metered parking systems are: Hayes Road, Convent Road, Residency Road (4 stretches), Brigade Road, St Mark's Road, Central Street, Kamaraj Road (2 stretches), Dickenson Road, Dispensary Road, Town Hall, Gandhinagar (3rd Main, 5th Main), Ali Asker Road, Sadashivnagar Swimming Pool Road, Coles Road, SJP Road, V M Road, Jyothi Nivas College road, Jayanagar Shopping Complex Area, Infantry Road, Hospital Road, Lady Curzon Road, Main Guard Road, Rest House Road, M G Road, Church Street, Museum Road, Cunningham Road, Ashoka Pillar to Madhavan Park, South End Circle to Madhavan Park, Jayanagar 8 C Road (Canara Bank Circle to 30th Cross), Jayanagar Canara Bank Circle to 11th Main and Kumara Park Road.
The chaos over parking fees in the city has its roots in 2005, when a motorist was killed in a scuffle with parking attendant on MG Road. The BBMP was forced to suspended collection of parking fee.
Though legally, the attendants were authorised to collect parking fees, the assurance given by the BBMP to the citizenry saw the collection being stopped. However, recently, a note issued by the additional commissioner, BBMP, to provide licence to Aishwarya Associates based on humanitarian grounds ignited the confusion again. Attendants were suddenly seen asking for parking fees. The issue came to a flashpoint when media took up the case. This forced the BBMP to clarify on Sunday that motorists will have to pay for parking only where metered parking existed.