Parking space comes at a cost

Dearth of parking space is a cause of concern to many a vehicle owner. Sometimes they may even run the risk of parking in areas where parking is prohibited. But the pay and park facilities in some places have come to the rescue of the many vehicle owners. 

However, as it is evident, a lot of the parking attendants do not issue parking tickets.

They charge a meagre sum of five rupees to help you park the vehicle. But this is seen as a boon by many like Vijay, who says, “I do not have any problem with this as it reduces a lot of our efforts. My office is on Church Street and finding a spot to park my bike anywhere around is a headache. With these people around, I just have to give them my bike keys and they take care of it. So I don’t mind paying them. It saves a lot of trouble and also there are no chances of my bike being towed away as these people will take care of my bike.” Even Michelle, a student, agrees. “Places like Brigade Road are so crowded that you can hardly find a place to park. So at such times, these people are like a saviour. And we can be assured that we are not parking in a ‘No Parking’ area.” And sometimes these owners voluntarily pay them a small amount even if they don’t demand it.  Another working professional, Dharmendra, seconds this, “As long as my bike is safe and taken care of, it’s alright.” But his friend Abhishek thinks this is not fair and is against the rules. “Getting a receipt is necessary. I don’t know who the attendant is, so why should I pay him any money?” he asks.

There are many like him who express the same opinion. Says Vidya, an IT professional, “When I go and park at these places, I demand a receipt from them and if they don’t give me one, I just don’t pay. And I make it a point not to go there the next time.” Her friend Nimi quips, “Though it is a lot of a hassle to go scouting for a place to park, we don’t mind. We usually go to places where we can get a parking ticket.” And she has had experiences when she was even duped by these men. “Most of the time, they give used tickets and expect us to pay. It is downright immoral and I refuse to let this happen to me again,” she says.But given the increasing traffic, especially the growing number of two-wheelers in the City, one is not left with much of a choice. Vijay adds, “This happens throughout the City in places like Koramangala, BTM Layout, near Jaideva Hospital and Majestic. As long as they don’t charge you a hefty sum or run away with your bike, it doesn’t seem like a wrong thing at all.”

Shreyas adds, “In such over-crowded areas it is understandable. But it is pure
rip-off.”