A friend asked: “Why Ahmedabad City cannot generate revenues from parking?” This question has arisen because Delhi has just done that.
Delhi’s parking rules have included parking area management plans at ward level, revenue generation from parking management and use of this revenue for local area improvement or the larger public good. “The most notable is the provision on the utilisation of parking revenue for local development works that include pedestrian safety, non-motorised lanes and development of parking lots.” (Anumita Roychowdhury in https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/air/delhi-notifies-first-ever-parking-rules-to-restrain-vehicle-use-cut-air-pollution-66941) The rules do not confine to narrowly deal with only provision of parking and its pricing but also the structural issues of the city, such as providing for ‘complete street concept’, and prioritising pedestrians, cyclists and public transport in the complete streets. It also suggests modal integration, particularly of the public transport with the para-transit through arranging for of pick-up and drop by the latter at public transport stations. Interestingly, hawking zones, resting zones and overnight parking requirements have also been addressed.
Transport ourselves to Ahmedabad, which too is enforcing parking regulations. But, it does not have a Parking Plan. Only regulations. The Parking Rules are being enforced by the Police Department, which is not a planning and development department but only regulation enforcement department. Parking is not allowed on any arterial roads. These are no tolerance zones for parking.
Parking lots or spaces have been created wherever possible. The open plots belonging to the AMC have, been for the time-being, converted into parking lots where paid parking has been provided. These lots do not have any paving and are open grounds that have got converted into mucky plots during the monsoons. In summer, these become dusty.
Paid parking has also been created on road sides, particularly where wide side roads are available. For example, SG Highway has small such parking areas, with capacity from 10-20 four wheelers. Needless to mention that such small paid parking lots are not adequate. They get full quickly and what follows in continuing of parking on the road side in small lanes where ‘no parking’ zone is not provided for. As the strict ‘no parking’ in most parts of the city get implemented, including in front of residential apartments, the available parking facilities are going to be fully occupied. For example, on a weekend (Saturday and Sundays) and during holidays, no parking space is available in two-storey basement parking in Alpha Mall.
Lack of parking on one hand and constant fear of vehicle being towed away, has created a peculiar conundrum; how to travel within the city.
By public transport? Which one? The Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS)? It is not available everywhere. It has a last-leg connectivity problem, from home to BRTS stop and vice-versa. People have used shared auto-rickshaw for the purpose. Shared auto-rickshaws, that take about 8-10 passengers are not always an option of people during summers, and rainy seasons; not for upper and higher-middle income groups. Or that of Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Services (AMTS), which have more wide-based routes. Metro is under construction and has the most limited route.
To access both, AMTS and BRTS, there is no option but to walk? On broken footpaths, and jumping up and down to and from the footpaths, which are often one foot high. Or walk in mud on the road side where there are no footpaths or even walk on pot-holed roads. At least, on some roads, parking on footpaths is now not permitted.
The footpaths are being constructed on some roads, I would call them model roads (CG Road for example) and there are plans to do the same on three other arterial roads. But, that’s it. We need a footpath plan, for each ward, to make walking to public transport possible.
Even if footpaths are made, many other important issue has to be addressed. Dealing with the animal life on the roads. Older one grows, important it becomes. Ahmedabad has many dogs on the road. They cannot be now caught and taken away through old methods deployed by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) due to protection from the Supreme Court. Morning walkers in the city walk with a stick to ward them off. In last few years, monkeys are found in gangs on the city streets. I have personally experienced their presence on the roads when on a morning walk. The delinquent behaviour of motorised vehicle drivers, coming on both sides of the road and driving at high speeds even on pot-holed roads, has made both walking and cycling on Ahmedabad City streets hazardous. Question is are these conditions encouraging to shift from private to public transport, and that too inadequate public transport?
Are these excuses? Blaming everyone and everything for not making a modal shift, from private to public transport? The everyday travel’s unwanted experiences are too many to blame individuals for not making a shift. So, if private vehicles were going to be used, next issue pertains to parking provisions.
Clearly, the ones available are not adequate as discussed. Let me here come to the story of a parking station constructed in Navrangpura area, behind the Navrangpura bus-stand. Navrangpura bus-stand is Charles Correa designed building of early 1960s. Bus-stand building is in utter neglect. Behind it rises a white ugly looking building which is the parking station, for those who are to visit the CG Road, about a km away. Is walking 1 km a big deal? It is when you have to jump up and down the 1 ft wide footpaths, encountering all the hazards mentioned above then it is. But, for the entire stretch of the CG road, this is the only parking lot. And it could also be more than 1 km walk for many. Till recently, on-road parking was available in limited numbers and parallel parking was tolerated so no one used this parking lot. It needs to be seen with the strict enforcement of parking regulations, it gets used.
Lastly, till the public transport system is well developed, if people are going to use private transport, then there should be a city-wide plan for parking. Plots in the existing developed areas should be identified to construct a parking station from which the city can earn revenues. A few that can be counted on finger-tips, are not adequate. Open plots should not be used for parking. On them, multi-storey parking facilities should be constructed so that value could be realised from the remaining parts, much like we are now approaching slum redevelopment. The multi-storey parking facilities should be priced in a way to raise revenues for the city, to do more footpaths at the least.
The city level Comprehensive Mobility Plans should become low-carbon, with not just public transport plans but also cycling and footpath plans (plans for NMT), plans for e-vehicles (particularly the three-wheelers), parking stations and with a future provision of charging stations or battery swap stations for e-vehicles. We do not have luxury to think piece-meal now.
Delhi’s parking rules have included parking area management plans at ward level, revenue generation from parking management and use of this revenue for local area improvement or the larger public good. “The most notable is the provision on the utilisation of parking revenue for local development works that include pedestrian safety, non-motorised lanes and development of parking lots.” (Anumita Roychowdhury in https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/air/delhi-notifies-first-ever-parking-rules-to-restrain-vehicle-use-cut-air-pollution-66941) The rules do not confine to narrowly deal with only provision of parking and its pricing but also the structural issues of the city, such as providing for ‘complete street concept’, and prioritising pedestrians, cyclists and public transport in the complete streets. It also suggests modal integration, particularly of the public transport with the para-transit through arranging for of pick-up and drop by the latter at public transport stations. Interestingly, hawking zones, resting zones and overnight parking requirements have also been addressed.
Transport ourselves to Ahmedabad, which too is enforcing parking regulations. But, it does not have a Parking Plan. Only regulations. The Parking Rules are being enforced by the Police Department, which is not a planning and development department but only regulation enforcement department. Parking is not allowed on any arterial roads. These are no tolerance zones for parking.
Parking lots or spaces have been created wherever possible. The open plots belonging to the AMC have, been for the time-being, converted into parking lots where paid parking has been provided. These lots do not have any paving and are open grounds that have got converted into mucky plots during the monsoons. In summer, these become dusty.
Paid parking has also been created on road sides, particularly where wide side roads are available. For example, SG Highway has small such parking areas, with capacity from 10-20 four wheelers. Needless to mention that such small paid parking lots are not adequate. They get full quickly and what follows in continuing of parking on the road side in small lanes where ‘no parking’ zone is not provided for. As the strict ‘no parking’ in most parts of the city get implemented, including in front of residential apartments, the available parking facilities are going to be fully occupied. For example, on a weekend (Saturday and Sundays) and during holidays, no parking space is available in two-storey basement parking in Alpha Mall.
Lack of parking on one hand and constant fear of vehicle being towed away, has created a peculiar conundrum; how to travel within the city.
By public transport? Which one? The Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS)? It is not available everywhere. It has a last-leg connectivity problem, from home to BRTS stop and vice-versa. People have used shared auto-rickshaw for the purpose. Shared auto-rickshaws, that take about 8-10 passengers are not always an option of people during summers, and rainy seasons; not for upper and higher-middle income groups. Or that of Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Services (AMTS), which have more wide-based routes. Metro is under construction and has the most limited route.
To access both, AMTS and BRTS, there is no option but to walk? On broken footpaths, and jumping up and down to and from the footpaths, which are often one foot high. Or walk in mud on the road side where there are no footpaths or even walk on pot-holed roads. At least, on some roads, parking on footpaths is now not permitted.
The footpaths are being constructed on some roads, I would call them model roads (CG Road for example) and there are plans to do the same on three other arterial roads. But, that’s it. We need a footpath plan, for each ward, to make walking to public transport possible.
Even if footpaths are made, many other important issue has to be addressed. Dealing with the animal life on the roads. Older one grows, important it becomes. Ahmedabad has many dogs on the road. They cannot be now caught and taken away through old methods deployed by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) due to protection from the Supreme Court. Morning walkers in the city walk with a stick to ward them off. In last few years, monkeys are found in gangs on the city streets. I have personally experienced their presence on the roads when on a morning walk. The delinquent behaviour of motorised vehicle drivers, coming on both sides of the road and driving at high speeds even on pot-holed roads, has made both walking and cycling on Ahmedabad City streets hazardous. Question is are these conditions encouraging to shift from private to public transport, and that too inadequate public transport?
Are these excuses? Blaming everyone and everything for not making a modal shift, from private to public transport? The everyday travel’s unwanted experiences are too many to blame individuals for not making a shift. So, if private vehicles were going to be used, next issue pertains to parking provisions.
Clearly, the ones available are not adequate as discussed. Let me here come to the story of a parking station constructed in Navrangpura area, behind the Navrangpura bus-stand. Navrangpura bus-stand is Charles Correa designed building of early 1960s. Bus-stand building is in utter neglect. Behind it rises a white ugly looking building which is the parking station, for those who are to visit the CG Road, about a km away. Is walking 1 km a big deal? It is when you have to jump up and down the 1 ft wide footpaths, encountering all the hazards mentioned above then it is. But, for the entire stretch of the CG road, this is the only parking lot. And it could also be more than 1 km walk for many. Till recently, on-road parking was available in limited numbers and parallel parking was tolerated so no one used this parking lot. It needs to be seen with the strict enforcement of parking regulations, it gets used.
Lastly, till the public transport system is well developed, if people are going to use private transport, then there should be a city-wide plan for parking. Plots in the existing developed areas should be identified to construct a parking station from which the city can earn revenues. A few that can be counted on finger-tips, are not adequate. Open plots should not be used for parking. On them, multi-storey parking facilities should be constructed so that value could be realised from the remaining parts, much like we are now approaching slum redevelopment. The multi-storey parking facilities should be priced in a way to raise revenues for the city, to do more footpaths at the least.
The city level Comprehensive Mobility Plans should become low-carbon, with not just public transport plans but also cycling and footpath plans (plans for NMT), plans for e-vehicles (particularly the three-wheelers), parking stations and with a future provision of charging stations or battery swap stations for e-vehicles. We do not have luxury to think piece-meal now.
