Park and walk!

Real Concerns

The hassle of finding a decent parking space is only going to get tougher during the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches that is starting today in the City.

The IPL organisers have made all efforts to ease the parking problem by making arrangements for spectators to park their vehicles at St Joseph’s Indian High School grounds, Kanteerava Stadium, Cubbon Park, the first and second floors of Shivajinagar Bus Stand, Chhote Maidan and the VVIP parking lot at the UB City.

   However, those who have bought tickets to the match don’t seem too excited about the idea. Some say that they would rather take a bus or the Metro to the venue than scout for parking space.

   Metrolife interacts with a few people, IPL organisers and the traffic police to understand if the parking facilities provided by the organisers is practical.

   According to the IPL organisers, those parking at Indian High School Grounds and Shivajinagar Bus Stand will have to shell out anything between Rs 30 and Rs 60 for parking per hour.

   Five mini-buses have been arranged to ferry spectators from the parking lot in the UB City to the stadium. “This service has been provided for free and will run depending on the number of users. The demarcated parking spaces will accommodate a good number of cars. We have also been encouraging people to take public transport rather than travel in their own vehicles,” says one of the IPL organisers.

   Talking about the choice of location for parking, another IPL organiser says, “Proximity to the stadium is key. We had to fix it so that people who didn’t want to take the bus could walk to the venue.”

   Additional commissioner of police (traffic) MA Saleem observes that during the IPL matches, traffic congestion occurs only at some junctions but clears up in no time. “Most of the matches are at night and traffic is chaotic at the junctions by around 6.30 pm.

Handling the crowd after the match is no problem because most people use public transport,” he says.

   While some people prefer to come in their own cars, park somewhere in the vicinity and walk to the stadium, others have made arrangements to be dropped off and picked up after the match. There are also those who have decided to use public transport. Rahul Babar, a student, can’t wait for the IPL to start. “I go to the IPL every year but parking is my biggest concern. Last year, I had a tough time finding a parking space. Considering the never-ending traffic jams,I may have to plan ahead of time and leave home early,” says Rahul. He adds, “I may leave my car behind and decide to take the Metro. At least that way, I can travel comfortably.”

   Nafess Sharieff has decided to come early and look for a parking space near the stadium rather than use the parking space that has been provided by the IPL officials. “The idea to provide alternative parking space is good but also a bit unrealistic. I prefer to park somewhere near the stadium and reach the venue in time to watch the match,” shares Nafess.

   Kuttappa, a professional, thinks the parking as much as a kilometre away from the venue is impractical. “With such stiff rules and regulations, it’s going to be hard to find parking space and get to the matches on time. I think I would have to takea day off work to find a good parking space,” he sums up.