Parking on footpaths: Cops scoff at rules

It is like the fence eating the crop when it comes to violation of parking rules by traffic police. One can see parking of police vehicles, including two-wheelers, on footpaths at various police stations in the city. With vehicles occupying most of the space on footpaths, pedestrians have to walk on the road and risk their lives.

On the other hand, traffic police are ever ready to penalise those parking vehicles on footpaths. Many hapless two-wheeler owners have to run from pillar to post, plead or beg to get their seized vehicles released by the traffic police.

Vehicles parked on footpaths for a brief duration near hotels and restaurants are also being towed away by traffic police. “I have come across a few customers, who came to a hotel on Kensington Road a few years ago, leaving the hotel hurriedly to check whether their vehicles are at the ‘parking place’ or towed away by traffic police. It is quite disturbing,” said Naveen S, a resident of Halasuru.

Bangalore Traffic Police have booked 42,567 cases in 2019, 45,455 in 2020, and 74,851 in 2021 for parking vehicles on footpaths in the city. It is quite surprising to see t h e number of cases booked for parking on footpaths increase by around 30,000 in 2021 as against the cases booked in the year 2020. The traffic police had registered around 3,000 cases in the year 2020 as against the cases booked in 2019. The traffic police collect Rs 1,000 as penalty for parking vehicles on footpaths. Many two-wheeler owners may not have Rs 1,000 with them to pay the penalty and get back their vehicles. In such cases, the hapless and those who have no deep pocke t s have to g o home e i t h e r in an autorickshaw or take a BMTC bus to fetch the penalty money.

“I am of the opinion that traffic police have to follow the rules before asking vehicle owners to follow the rules. The building that accommodates the police or traffic police station should have been constructed without violating building byelaws. The traffic police station buildings should have sufficient space for parking vehicles. If not, the authorities should demolish such buildings and construct new buildings as per the building byelaws,” said Saidatta, a social activist.

Traffic or law and order police stations either have no provision for parking vehicles or the parking lots are full with seized vehicles. For example, Halasuru Traffic as well as law and order police stations have no sufficient space for parking vehicles. Most of the vehicles are seen parked on the footpath thus leaving no space for pedestrians. It is the same with Commercial Street Traffic Police Station.

Jeevan Bhima Nagar policemen have put up a barricade preventing pedestrians from walking on the footpath that is being used for parking their vehicles. Though Jeevan Bhima Nagar Traffic Police have not barricaded the footpath, they continue parking vehicles on the footpath. The scene is no different at Hanumantha Nagar Police Station, Chennammanakere Achchukattu and many other police stations.

Coming down heavily on police for parking vehicles on footpaths near police stations, HM Venkatesh, a social activist, has said the police think that they are above law.

“The traffic or law and order police have to think twice before parking their vehicles on footpaths thus causing inconvenience to pedestrians. I think they are misusing their position,’’ said Venkatesh.

Meanwhile, Prof M.N. Sreehari, a traffic expert, said, “I am not in favour of parking vehicles, either by police or public, on footpaths. I am of the opinion that footpaths are meant for pedestrians and not for parking vehicles.”