Towing of vehicles is a common sight in many parts of Bengaluru, particularly in the Central Business District (CBD) areas such as Church Street, Commercial Street and other roads. In the wake of several incidents of conflict between the towing personnel and motorists, the government had recently announced a temporary suspension of towing until clear and simplified rules are put in place.
Citizens have been complaining that the city does not have a robust parking policy, leading to chaos on the streets and leaving vehicle owners to confront enforcement authorities. How can Bengaluru improve its parking system without causing much inconvenience to the citizens? Deccan Herald takes a deep dive, interacting with a cross-section of Bengalureans.
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Raghvendra T S, who resides in Mathikere welcomes the suspension. He elaborates: “As the population increases, parking space is becoming a big problem in Bengaluru. This is bound to create a mess. Even if we find a suitable parking spot, the traffic police personnel will come and tow our vehicles away, damaging them. This puts the citizen in a tough situation because he/she has to run behind the government offices to get the vehicle back.”
Tony K Cherian, a resident of BTM layout, has this to say, “I used to live pretty close to the Silk Board Junction, before and during the metro construction. I have seen many residents parking their vehicles on roadsides, and one can even see that certain residents have marked their territory for parking.”
“The metro city really lacks multiple multi-level car parking slots at its prime locations. The Bruhath Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) should also come up with strict rules after ensuring the availability of parking spaces at each and every residential and commercial building. The Palike should also think of converting basements / available space of bus/metro station for parking,” he adds.
Most citizens opine that the lack of a clear plan for earmarking parking spaces in different locations is one of the major reasons that has led to heavy congestion of the city’s roads and public spaces.
Victor Joseph, an Arts faculty member of Christ College, notes, “Bengaluru is way behind in putting in place adequate parking towers to tide over the crisis. The adamant authorities have not been kind enough to allocate maximum space for parking in urban areas, especially when street shopping is a variable for consideration.”
Abhishek S John, a consultant psychologist, chips in, “Space for parking should be maximised for common users. Each and every approved commercial building should have ample parking space for its customers without any hidden charges. Separate space should be earmarked for loading and unloading of goods for commercial use.”
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