Park at your own risk

Park at your own risk


Vehicle owners may get a ticket and have to pay a fine of Rs 100.
Poonam BiswakarmaFirst Published : 27 Oct 2009 05:14:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 27 Oct 2009 07:31:53 AM IST
Jumping traffic signals, riding without a helmet, drunk-driving — these are some of the most common traffic violations one can think of.
But, you are under the traffic radar not just while you are on the move, but also when you have parked your vehicles. And Bangaloreans seemingly love to flout the no-parking rule. According to the comparative statistical data obtained from the Traffic Division since 2005, till August this year, the maximum number of cases booked for violation of traffic rule within the city limits has been for wrong parking.
And with the latest figure standing at 1,91,427, it comes as no wonder when motorists in the city complain that parking issue as one of their major plights. “It’s such a pain to drive four wheelers, when you think of parking problem, especially at Commercial Street and MG Road.
Many a time I park my car far away and then take an autorickshaw, to avoid scouting for parking space later,” says techie Raghu Rajan.
Student Ashok Anthony has another complain, “You hardly find parknig space on the roads wherein Rs 5 or Rs 10 is charged and the parking at malls are way expensive with tolls in the range of Rs 15-50. You have to park at restricted areas sometimes.” But there’s no excuse for flouting the law. Section 127 of Indian Motor Vehicles Act reads: (i) If a vehicle is left unattended on a public place for more than 10 hours or found parked in a No Parking Zone, it can be ordered to be towed away by a jurisdictional Police Officer in uniform; (ii) If a vehicle is parked unattended in such a manner as to create a traffic hazard, it can be immediately removed by towing as ordered by any jurisdictional Police Officer; (iii) The charges of towing away have to be paid by the owner besides any other penalty.
Monetary fine for violating parking rule is Rs 100, and if the towing charges need to be added, it’s Rs 300 for two-wheeler and Rs 400 for fourwheeler, says a Police Inspector (Traffic). However, many traffic cops are not strict, and you can bargain with them. If you are a government official, then you may even escape the fine.
One solution to the menace, suggests Mohammed Sajjad Khan, Police Inspector (Traffic East) is to increase the fine. “Rs 100 is too less. It should be increased. Once they have to pay more, they will think twice.”