Bengaluru Kasturba Road gets Smart Parking System
The pilot run of the smart parking project was launched on Kasturba Road on Monday with a command station and around 50 parking slots for four-wheelers on either side of the road.
The smart parking system is a Public Private Model which is to be implemented across the Central Business District. It is an initiative of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) with the Central Parking Services (CPS), a parking management organisation.
For the next few days, smart parking will be complimentary to drivers until the system is perfected. “This will help people get used to the new system. We will educate and inform them about it. The money paid by citizens will be refunded,” said a CPS employee.
Under the smart parking system, drivers can find a vacant spot and park their vehicles using the Namma Bengaluru Parking app or directly through a ‘smart machine’. “Sensors are installed in each parking slot. They will detect the presence of vehicles,” said a member of the technical team.
CPS has also provided the facility of sending an SMS of the payment receipt. The payment can be done by cash or any UPI service.
“There is also free parking space for cycles. Our enforcement team would move around on bicycles monitoring the whole process,” added a core member of the technical team who was helping motorists familiarise themselves with the system.
There is a computerised board at the entrance of Kasturba Road that maps the availability of slots. Motorists gave the pilot project a thumbs up.
Chandran, a driver for a private agency, said, “The parking system is smooth. For drivers who need to submit proof to the office for reimbursement of our allowances, the payment receipt is helpful.”
Rajshekhar, a businessman, while commending the organised system, was worried about the fines. “We have been told that if we exceed the grace time of five minutes, we will be fined. If the slot is far away from the parking meter, it may take more more time to reach it,” he said.
Source – The Hindu.