In its bid to address parking issues that are getting worsened with the number of vehicles rising exponentially, the Mysuru City Corporation Council on Friday, June 9, passed a resolution to introduce a pay-and-park system on the city’s three major roads on an experimental basis, in the central business district (CBD).
It also resolved to invite tenders and finalise the agency/agencies for operating the pay-and-park system on D. Devaraj Urs Road, Ashoka Road and Sayyaji Road besides the Town Hall premises.
Especially on D. Devaraj Urs Road, shoppers and tourists have a tough time in getting parking space with the parking bays constantly occupied by the vehicles purportedly belonging to the shopkeepers.
“The new parking system, on a trial basis, will be introduced on D. Devaraj Urs Road, Ashoka Road and Sayyaji Rao Road – the city’s key commercial hubs,” said Mayor Shivakumar, who chaired the meeting.
The MCC has also decided to have the pay-and-park system also on Vinoba Road, Sri Harsha Road, and Dhanwantri Road in the next phase.
The six locations identified by the MCC in the city centre were those facing serious parking issues, and are frequented by tourists for shopping.
The meeting was told that a fee will be charged for the first two hours of parking and later the fee will be charged on the hourly basis.
“For two-wheelers, the parking fee for the first two hours could be ₹10 and the fee will later be charged at ₹10 per hour. Likewise, for light motor vehicles such as cars the fee for the first two hours can be charged ₹30 and ₹20 for every one hour. The pay-and-park system brings revenue to the corporation,” the Mayor argued.
The Mayor added, “The roads identified for introducing pay-and-park are busy commercial areas. The movement of public and vehicles is very high. There was a suggestion from the stakeholders for introducing the pay-and-park system to ensure parking space for all on the roads. The MCC has acted upon the suggestions and opinions,” he told the meeting after putting forth the parking issue.
“Once the system comes into effect, there will be no inconsistency as to the parking space is concerned since anybody can park their vehicles paying the fee. Once the agency is finalised, the system will be formally introduced,” said MCC Commissioner Lakshmikanth Reddy.
Push for introducing pay-and-park system
The introduction of the pay-and-park system on D. Devaraj Urs Road, the city’s most vibrant commercial hub which has been facing a serious parking crisis for over a decade, has remained a challenge for both the MCC and the Mysuru City Police.
The scheme remained a non-starter although the MCC Council had approved the proposal a decade ago, in the absence of consensus and resistance from a section of the business community.
The Mysuru traffic police tried to push the proposal forward two years ago but it did not receive support. The authorities chose to remain blind despite the problems faced by motorists.
Getting parking space on the road is often distressing. For a four-wheeler owner, during most times of the day, the road is out of bounds for parking. The MCC was often blamed for its “failure” or delay in establishing a system where everyone gets parking space on the road.
