BANGALORE: Two stations of Bangalore Metro will get parking lots as the Central Parking Services (CPS) has won the tender to manage Byappannahalli and Swami Vivekananda Metro Stations on Reach 1. The Byappanahalli Station parking lot can hold 100 four-wheelers and 150 two-wheelers, while Swami Vivekananda station can hold 140 four-wheelers and 150 two-wheelers.
“Metro has proved to be a game changer for urban mobility in the city. As footfall of commuters and vehicles increase, we want to guarantee parking facilities are in par with international standards,” said N Sathyanarayanan, Managing Director, Central Parking Services.
“Traffic police have specified that they want us to install CCTV cameras at both the stations to ensure vehicular movement is tracked, which will help in curbing vehicle thefts. Byappannahalli and Swami Vivekananda stations will have four CCTV cameras each. These cameras will be connected to our office through an IP,” added N Sathyanarayanan. Japanese technology has been adapted for parking management and guidance systems and the company has invested `50 lakh per station for installation.
The computerised automatic systems will generate parking tickets at exit. Also, the system will indicate space availability while parking. The company has proposed to provide free parking for electric vehicles. Though these technologically advanced parking lots, there is no system to track the misuse of parking lots, if any.
“Our prior experience at other Metro stations across the country has shown that when authorities set tariffs according to the area, cases of misuse reduce. For example, parking charge at M G Road Metro Station should be such that it is on par with the commercial aspect of the area. This would reduce misuse. While right now there is no system to check misuse of the parking lot, we are planning to introduce a facility with the support of BMRCL, where passengers who buy Metro monthly pass can also get a monthly pass to park vehicles,” added N Sathyanarayanan.