The Hindu 28.02.2013
Multi-level parking at CGO?
Faced with an acute shortage of parking bays near the
CGO complex on Lodhi Road, which has in its perimeter several office
complexes, the Union Urban Development Ministry has proposed a
multi-level parking with commercial spaces that can be let out.
The
proposal, which will be put forth before the Union Cabinet for its
approval, envisages letting out space to commercial establishments like
restaurants and shops to raise funds for the construction.
“The
proposal is still being fleshed out. We are thinking of letting out
space to two restaurants with a 100-plus seating capacity and some
shops, which will help us raise funds. While Government-owned vehicles
will be allowed to park for free, private vehicle will be levied a fee,”
said an official, not wishing to be named.
A large
plot of land has been earmarked for the project that is expected to
cater to the nearby offices and will address the current problem of a
large number of vehicles being parked on the roads, leading to traffic
congestion.
“Randomly parked vehicles along the roads
not only bring traffic to a crawl during peak hours, but are also a
security hazard. Once the parking facility comes up, these issues will
be addressed,” the official said.
Shortage of parking
facilities across the city and the growing complaints about vehicles
parked illegally and indiscriminately in residential areas has forced
the Ministry to come up with solutions. The Ministry is contemplating
introduction of laws to tackle the problem of dearth of parking spaces.
Experts in the sector of planning and transport management have urged
the Ministry to contemplate Japan’s policy of proof-of-parking, whereby
buyers need to show they have ample space for parking their vehicles.
“There
needs to be some kind of legislation brought in to check the illegal
parking problem. The number of vehicles that are being added to the
roads is sharply disproportionate to the land availability for parking.
Initiatives like encouraging the use of public transport, increasing the
tax on vehicle registration, enhancing parking fees and even the
proposal to introduce congestion tax in metros have not been able to
check the increasing number of private vehicles. It is imperative to
come up with alternatives like multi-level parking,” the official said.