Pay-and-park system for Ashoka Road traders

Mysuru: Traders on Ashoka Road may soon have to pay to park their vehicles on that road, with the City Police reviving plans to introduce a pay-and-park system in Mysuru’s Central Business District (CBD). The proposal will be placed before the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) for approval.

The proposed system will apply only to traders and business owners who park their vehicles on Ashoka Road and not to the general public. The traders and shop employees will be provided a monthly pass. The issue was discussed during a ‘Jana Samparka’ meeting organised by the Devaraja Traffic Police Station at the Kannika Parameshwari Temple premises on Ashoka Road on May 26.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic) K.S. Sundar Raj and Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M. Shivashankar urged traders to cooperate with the proposed parking                                      management initiative.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, ACP Shivashankar said, two rounds of discussions had already been held with traders and that they had agreed to the proposal.

“We have conducted two meetings with traders and they have consented to the plan. The MCC and the contractor managing the Town Hall parking facility will be consulted to finalise nominal parking charges based on the duration of parking. The proposal will then be placed before the MCC, following which tenders will be invited to implement the system,” he said.

On D. Devaraj Urs Road

When asked about extending a similar system to the traders and businessmen on D. Devaraj Urs Road, Shivashankar said, the decision rests with MCC Commissioner. Repeated attempts to contact MCC Commissioner Shaikh Tanveer Asif for his response went unanswered.

According to the Police, nearly 60 percent of the available roadside parking space on busy commercial stretches, particularly Ashoka Road and D. Devaraj Urs Road, is occupied for long durations, from morning till night, by shopkeepers and shop employees, leaving limited parking space for customers and visitors.

This is resulting in frequent congestion and inconvenience. Parking in the city’s commercial core has become increasingly difficult, with shoppers often forced to double-park or wait on the roadside for vacant spaces. This reduces the available carriageway and disrupts the smooth flow of traffic.

Police officers say managing traffic under such conditions has become increasingly challenging. They believe that introducing a pay-and-park system for traders will promote better parking discipline, improve utilisation of available space and help ease congestion in some of the city’s busiest commercial areas.