JOIN USGot a parking ticket? Scores of others did too
Wrong parking is the most common traffic violation in Bangalore. Of the 38 traffic offences, police registered most cases pertaining to wrong parking.
And there is an increase in these cases every year, meaning lack of adequate parking space and poor management of the existing ones.
Figures available with the traffic police show that 19,95,010 cases of wrong parking were registered in 2013, up from 14,91,071 in 2012. This year, till August, 7,94,376 cases of parking-related violations have been registered.
In 2012, a total of 25,843 cases were registered for parking on footpaths. In 2013, 61,303 such cases were registered. In 2014, till August, 12,312 cases have been registered. For parking at intersections, 20,701 people were booked in 2012 and 26,221 last year. In 2014, till August, the number stands at 14,350.
According to traffic and urban experts, the increase in parking-related violations reflects the lack of parking spaces in the City and violation of building bylaws. M N Srihari, traffic engineering expert and advisor to the State government, said: “Roads are not meant for parking but for traffic. So, this shows that building bylaws are not being followed and parking spaces are being converted into commercial and residential units. If every building provides for parking, there will be no such problem.”
Srihari further said that the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) ought to serve notice on builders, and demolish buildings that had not provided for parking. But no such action has been taken till date, he rued.
Pranav Jha, co-founder of Praja, said that the number of offences varied according to location. Not just commercial spaces but apartment buildings have also parking issues. In many apartment buildings, guests are forced to park their vehicles outside.
According to Jha, people visiting shops on main roads park their vehicles on the roadside because these units do not provide parking space. Although fleeting, such parking is illegal. The government knows this, but since money changes hands, nobody utters a word and motorists are penalised, he claimed.
The solution, experts suggest, is to check all areas and clear parking, enforce strict parking norms and cancel licences of commercial establishments that do not provide parking spaces.
BBMP Commissioner, N Lakshminarayana, admits there is a dearth of parking space and said a proposal was pending before the BBMP council to regulate parking across the City. Once this is done, people will have to pay for parking. Currently, paid parking is available only on Brigade Road and some premium areas. If parking is being charged elsewhere, it is illegal, he asserted.
“People park on the roadside because it is free. Our focus is to first free the roadside parking in the Central Business District (CBD) and gradually move to the outskirts,” he added.