RIGHTS Denied? - Parking here? Pay for it

RIGHTS Denied? - Parking here? Pay for it
AKANKSHA MEHROTRA
DC | BENGALURU


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For the past few days the traffic police has not been allowing autorick- shaws at Brigade Road. We had a temporary stand on Brigade Road which has been now removed by the police. We are definitely losing on our business as this is where we get customers especial- ly on weekends.

Manjunath, Auto driver ‘ We are conducting special drives where our officials are deployed once in a week to see that rules are being followed. Brigade Road is a no-park- ing zone and offi- cers will keep a check on the situ- ation and ensure that no vehicles are parked in the ‘no parking zones’.

Lokesh ACP, traffic, Ashoknagar

The traffic chaoson Brigade Road has finally caught the attention of the Bengaluru police, which is now taking long overdue measures to ensure that vehicles are not parked haphazardly, leading to bottlenecks and hampering the movement of cars and pedestrians, particularly at the lower end of the road.
The police is coming down hard on auto drivers, slapping fines on those who park their vehicles as they please at the end of Brigade Road, near the Eva Mall.

“This is where the maximum traffic congestion is seen during the evenings.

Autos are always parked randomly at this point, holding up oncoming traffic and creating jams. We have received instructions to restrict the autos near Commissariat Road and penalise them if they use the no parking zones to while away their time,” said a traffic cop on Brigade Road.

For shopkeepers the clampdown on errant drivers has come as a relief as they have had to put up with the chaos for some time. They now say they are seeing better traffic flow on Brigade Road as vehicles are not being allowed to double park and hold up oncoming cars.

“The stretch of Brigade Road with automated parking meters is relatively less chaotic as the parking is better organised here, which prevents traffic hold-ups.

But it’s different at the no parking zone near Eva Mall which autos and other vehicles openly use. Now that the traffic police is working to keep this area clear of such congestion, things should improve,” says Brigade Road Shop and Establishment Association president, Suhail Yusuf.

But the traffic trouble is not confined to Brigade Road alone. It is seen quite often on the adjacent road leading to Taj Gateway Hotel as well, with numerous autos usually found parked in long queues here.

The the traffic cops are hoping to tackle this stretch next and make it more commuter friendly.

“Commuters who turn into the road leading to Taj Gateway from Brigade Road have a difficult as they find numerous autos parked in their way. The autos must be asked to keep away from this point as otherwise there could be accidents,” warns the owner of a commercial complex on Brigade Road, Anthony Francis.