No parking, no shopping Sales Dip On Chaotic Saturday At Brigade Road

No parking, no shopping Sales Dip On Chaotic Saturday At Brigade Road
Bangalore: It was the first weekend without the metered pay-and-park system on Brigade Road. And as expected, there was chaos all around, with motorists having to wait too long to find a parking slot.
Traffic volume increased as the day progressed. Relentless honking by frustrated drivers, waiting to go past cars looking for a slot, was to no avail. Many complained of not finding parking space for hours. Without any efficient control, there was confusion galore. Anticipating this, some people opted to take a bus or auto to get here.
“Many people now prefer to drive down to Garuda Mall or Bangalore Central to shop. Our store saw an extremely low footfall for a Saturday. Few of our regulars turned up, but they were complaining about not finding parking space and having to walk a long distance to our shop. The guards deployed by BSEA maintained some order but it’s a shame that the pay-and-park system has ended abruptly,” said Mohammad Ajmal, a salesman.
Another shopkeeper echoed this sentiment: “The pay-and-park system forced people to park for a fixed time. Only those shopping on Brigade Road would park. Now, since this area is a free parking zone, even those who don’t shop on Brigade Road park for the entire day, making slots unavailable for our customers. Naturally, they go elsewhere.”
WAY OUT IN 15 DAYS: BBMP
BBMP additional commissioner (East) S Puttaswamy said the Palike will float tenders for the parking contract in a day or two. “The new system should be in place within 15 days. On Commercial Street, the request for renewal submitted by the association is already under consideration,” he said.