New rules to promote private parking bays in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: The government wants to encourage private parking facilities and will soon come out with new rules, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar announced on Friday.

Shivakumar said that private parking facilities will also be set up along with government facilities.

“I have seen that close to 20 cars can be parked in a 10 x 12 square feet plot. To initiate such technology, we are of the opinion that we should encourage private companies,” he said.

Shivakumar, who inaugurated the underground parking facility at KR Market, multi-level car parking at Gandhi Bazaar along with a few other projects in the city, opined that the public should make use of such parking facilities and avoid parking on the roads.

“Parking cannot be allowed on roads with heavy traffic congestion. We have spent crores on providing parking facilities, the public should make use of it,” he said.

He directed the officials to ensure that roads within one-km radius of such parking facilities are declared as no parking zones and if vehicles are parked in such areas, they should be towed away.

Though the management of the parking facilities has been entrusted to private parties, the parking fee is not high, he said.

The Gandhi Bazaar commercial complex and multi level car parking has been constructed at a cost of Rs 22 crore. It houses close to 51 commercial shops on the lower and upper floors. The first fourt floors are dedicated for parking. Close to 128 vehicles can be parked at the facility. 

The revamped underground parking facility at KR Market has a capacity to house close to 200 cars and 400 two-wheelers. The facility also boasts of AI cameras and smart sensors. The facility has been developed with a private fund of Rs 6.5 crore under the PPP model.

The city corporation expects a revenue of close to Rs 41 lakh annually from the facility.