BENALURU: With ridership in Namma Metro’s purple line (from Byappanahalli to Mysore Road) on the rise, last mile connectivity continues to remain a cause for concern for commuters who drive to the metro station. Most of the stations still don’t have a designated parking space and hence finding space to park a two or four wheeler can be a nightmare. However, with the BMRCL floating tenders for parking lots at four stations they can look forward to hassle free parking at these stations.
Mayur, a student and regular metro commuter, said he usually drives his four-wheeler to the metro station. “I face a problem at stations like Vijayanagar. I have to park nearby in a residential colony. And if I am travelling from MG road, I have to use the pay and park at Brigade road,” he said.
Nilesh, another student and frequent metro commuter, takes the Purple line to attend German language classes. He said, “I drive my two-wheeler to the metro station. But there is no designated parking space at Hosahalli, so I practically park on the footpath. Even in MG road, I park on a street nearby and walk to the station,” he said.
Now BMRCL has floated tenders for parking lots at Hosahalli, Vijayanagar, Magadi road and Mysore Road stations. “Parking at Mysore Road station will be made available in a month. The others will take around 2 weeks. The charges will be a maximum of Rs 30 for two-wheelers and Rs 60 for four-wheelers,” said U. A. Vasanth Rao, CPRO of BMRCL.
The capacity of the parking lots would vary from station to station. While at Mysore Road around 1700 two-heelers and 240 four-heelers can be parked, Hosahalli and Magadi will have smaller spaces, as per the tender document on the department’s website.
Parking availability especially at final destination stations will be helpful for long distance commuters. It can save them from haphazard parking and reduce spending on autos or cabs.
The BMRCL will soon partner with the BBMP to discuss the implementation of multi level parking at metro stations, a suggestion made by Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George.
