In the 2008 draft of its ‘parking policy’, the Department of Urban Land Transport (DULT) had not only suggested reintroduction of the ‘pay and park’ scheme, but also to ensure the pricing reflects the demand for parking in the area. DULT had divided the city into three categories – depending on access to public transport, parking spots and traffic flow. It proposed a much higher parking fee for M.G. Road and Commercial Street than sub-urban areas with lower traffic. Apart from that, it had suggested an exponential increase in the fee per hour: that is, Rs. 10 for the first hour, Rs. 20 for the next, Rs. 40 for the third hour and so on.
The report had been watered down and kept in abeyance by the BBMP.
Regarding the reintroduction of parking fee on arterial roads, V. Manjula, DULT Commissioner, said: “This is a positive step. One of the ways of getting people to use public transport is to increase indirect costs, including parking fee.”
