Double parking thrives

Breaking Rules

Illegal parking of vehicles continues to remain a huge problem in the City.

 As if one row of illegally parked vehicles was not enough, double parking is now rampant in and around the Central Business District (CBD) like MG Road, Brigade Road, Church Street and Commercial Street. 

Haphazard parking and parking at wrong places had forced the police to come up with stringent measures to swoop down on offenders like clamping the vehicle or even towing it away but all these measures haven’t made much of a difference, according to many.  

The congestion on the road and the lack of parking space have forced most people to think twice before bringing their cars on just about any day. 

Raghu Malamandi, a professional, reasons that double parking not only narrows the road but makes it difficult for those who have parked to take out their cars.

It is very difficult for the driver to park a vehicle in a small space. Angular parking must be brought back as it prevents double parking.” 

Prasanna Rao, an insurance consultant, thinks shops in the CBD area must provide parking for people.

“Lack of parking space drives people away from CBD area. I would rather go to a park and spend time with my family than come out to shop in the CBD area,” he adds.  
  The parking on Brigade Road and Commercial Street is regulated by their respective associations but despite that, double parking still persists.

The automated parking system was introduced on Brigade Road a few years ago.

Suhail Yusuff, secretary, Brigades Shops and Establishments Association says, “If cars are parked on this stretch beyond the stipulated time, they are  towed away.

The cars that are parked on MG Road and Church Street don’t come under the automated parking system.

So people who park in the morning, will take their car out only in the evening.

That’s why you see so much double parking on these stretches,” observes Suhail. 

He says that parallel parking started when angular parking system was changed to parallel parking a few years back.

“The problem of double parking can be controlled if the automated parking system is replicated in the other parts of the City,” he adds. 

The automated parking system was introduced in Commercial Street in 2005 by the Bengaluru Commercial Street Association but it was tendered out to the BBMP after five years.

“Most of the automated machines aren’t working and there’s really no way to regulate parking in this area. An increasing number of vehicles resort to double parking on weekdays. Moreover, the number increases on the weekends,” explains Ajai Motwani, vice-president of the Association. 

He says a multi-storied car park in the CBD area is the only solution to curb the parking problem.

“We had suggested that the government build a slab over the half-a-kilometre storm-water drain near Ulsoor Lake and convert it into a parking lot. The space can accommodate at least 1,200 cars but nothing has been done,” he adds.

  Abin John, an employee with Mcafee, concludes by saying, “I always travel on the two-wheeler. It is not only easy to navigate but does away with hassles of finding a parking space. I wonder what happened to the government’s decision to have multi-storied parking spaces in the CBD area?”