Over 23 lakh parking violation cases were reported in the past two years.
The number of parking violations reported in Bangalore have been on a constant rise over the past two years.
According to the Bangalore Traffic Police, over two lakh parking violations were reported until March this year. Moreover, over 11 lakh cases in 2022 and more than 12 lakh cases in 2023 were reported in the city.
Citizens complain that there is no proper parking facility in most places, which leaves them with the only option to park on the roadside. Prabhath V, a resident of Baiyappanahalli, said, “Finding a parking spot in Bangalore, especially when travelling in a car, is difficult. You either have to go to areas that have parking or walk long distances in the heat.”
A traffic constable from Koramangala said that the number of parking violation cases has increased due to increase in the number of vehicles in the city, but the parking infrastructure is lacking. Illegal parking often causes already narrow roads to become narrower, worsening traffic congestion.
Officials from the Traffic Police say that they use automated cameras to find the people who wrongly park their vehicles. Anilkumar P Grampurohit, Traffic police inspector of Traffic Management Center said, “ People who park their vehicles haphazardly are booked under the Motor Vehicle Act and under Section 133 of Motor Vehicle Act,a fine of Rs. 1000 . is imposed on the people who park wrongly.”
In addition to fines, the traffic police also clamp the wheels of the vehicles that are wrongly parked , Grampurohit added.
Experts say that the low penalty for the violations and lack of infrastructure are the main reasons for the increasing number of traffic violations. Vikram Bhatt, urban planner at Urban Synthesis, Bangalore, said, “Multilevel car parking should be constructed in the city, Multi-car parking are buildings that could accommodate 200 to 300 cars at once.
