Neighbours fret over vehicles parked near metro stations

Residents living nearby have noted a surge after the entire Purple Line became operational

Haphazard parking of vehicles affects movement of traffic on busy CMH Road in Indiranagar. Photo: : K. Murali Kumar

Cars, buses two-wheelers and pedestrians jostling for space – all at one junction. Having already been pushed to the edge due to rampant commercialisation in the area, most of it reaching their doorstep, residents of Indiranagar are now grappling with an unprecedented number of vehicles being parked on the main road and bylanes. This was after the Purple Line became fully operational from Baiyappanahalli to Mysuru Road.

“Sometimes, cars are parked for three to four days at a stretch. Those who want to visit someone in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, for example, drive to the metro station, park their cars and take the metro,” said Praveen. S, Joint Secretary, Indiranagar Second Stage Residents’ Association.

Members of four residents’ welfare associations met C.V. Raman Nagar MLA S. Raghu on Tuesday to apprise him of the situation. Among the problems is an ‘illegal’ autorickshaw stand right outside CMH Road Metro Station, adding to the congestion on the busy road.

Metro users who live in Domlur, Jeevanbimanagar, New Thippasandra, C.V. Raman Nagar and Vigyananagar depend on autorickshaws and BMTC buses for last-mile connectivity.

Mr. Raghu promised to talk to the agencies concerned to see if spaces around the station, including one right behind, can be converted into dedicated parking slots for metro users. “We will also see if we can take some space on the footpath on CMH Road and create parking space for autorickshaws,” he added, after listening to the pleas of autorickshaw drivers.

But not all residents were convinced of these measures.

“They are thinking of creating infrastructure around five years after the metro line became operational,” said a resident.

CMH Road station is not the only one in a ‘congested’ location, making infrastructural interventions a challenge. “The Ulsoor and Vijaynagar stations also face the same problem. On the Green Line, the stations beginning with Sampige station till Sandal Soap Factory, with the exception of Mahalakshmi station, are in such areas,” said Himadri Das, Programme Manager, World Resources Institute.