BENGALURU: The increasing number of office-goers using the Metro to commute to their work place is now pushing the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to propose a change in rules on earmarking the parking space for commercial establishments in the city.
In a BDA board meeting held on Saturday, it has been decided that less parking space was adequate in commercial premises due to the reduction in usage of personal vehicles to the work spot.
As per existing regulations for the city, establishments situated within 1km of any Metro line must have one parking space (for a four-wheeler) for every 50 sq.m of built-up area. The dimensions of the parking lot must be in proportion to the built-up area.
A senior official told The New Indian Express, “There was a demand from companies and other commercial establishments for quite some time on the need to permit them to have a reduced parking space in their premises since the existing area was not fully utilised by staffers. So, we have now decided to recommend to the government that the rule be modified such that a parking space needs to be provided only for every 75 sq.m of built-up area in a commercial establishment.”
Built-up area includes the building and the portion from wall to wall. Elaborating upon it, a senior official said, “If one has a plot of 50x80 sq.ft, then the permitted built-up area there would be 35x60 sq.ft. If three floors are built there, the built-up area would be calculated as 35x60x3 sq.ft. On this figure, a parking space needs to be provided for every 75 sq.m in future.”
Since BDA is the planning authority for the city, it decides on all the zoning regulations. “The government in all probability implements the proposals made by the BDA,” another official said.
Metro Phase-I covers a distance of 42.3 km in the city. A huge chunk of the nearly 4 lakh Metro commuters on weekdays comprises office-goers.