Parking to turn smart on city's 85 roads in six months

Smart parking is set to go live on 85 busy streets of the city in the next six months as the BBMP kick-starts an ambitious project to reduce traffic congestion.

Smart parking is a system that helps drivers find a vacant spot. A sensor is installed in each parking space to detect the presence or absence of a vehicle. The available slots will be displayed on a screen. The parking fee will have to be paid online. Unauthorised parking will result in the police towing the vehicle away.

The authorities are starting a trial run on Kasturba Road, an 800-metre stretch between Cubbon Park and Vittal Mallya Road in the central business district, on December 14. About 100 car parking spaces will be available during the month-long trial run. Another 84 streets will be brought under the system in the next six months, said Basavaraj Kabade, Superintendent Engineer, Road Infrastructure, BBMP. The contract was awarded to Central Parking Services (CPS), a traffic management company headquartered in Bengaluru.

The contractor was supposed to start the work four months ago. Officials from the BBMP’s road infrastructure division showed their displeasure at the delay at a meeting attended by Mayor M Gowtham Kumar on Monday.

The progress has been so slow that the company is currently installing sensors and creating other infrastructure on Kasturba Road. Work on other roads will start only after the trial run.

Smart parking is among several projects that the BBMP is taking up to reduce the city’s notorious traffic congestion. Just last month, the civic body launched the Bus Priority Lane project along the outer ring road.

The BBMP approved the smart parking project last year. About 3,600 four-wheeler and 6,400 two-wheeler parking slots will be managed under the system.

The project will be fully run by the contractor which will pay Rs 31 crore to the BBMP per year.