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Parking on Gurugram’s roads to soon be paid and legal
The system will begin on a trial basis from Sector 44, the officials said, adding that in the long run, the authority plans to create multi-level parking lots across the city
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On-street parking will no longer be free in the city. The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is planning to launch a pilot project to start charging people for leaving their two-wheelers and four-wheelers on the roadside, officials said on Tuesday.
Without specifying the parking rates, officials said the pilot run will begin by the end of the year from Sector 44, and, in the long run, several multilevel parking lots will be created across the city.
Unregulated parking along the roads, near markets and other institutions is a major problem across the city as residents often encroach upon the roads near residential areas for parking their vehicles.
This leads to congestion as well as conflicts over space.
The decision to launch the plan was taken during the 66th meeting of GMDA’s weekly core planning cell (CPC) on Tuesday, officials said, adding that tenders will be issued next week.
According to the officials, during the pilot, the authority will appoint a contractor which will designate spaces along the roads for parking. The user will be charged a fee.
They said in order to avoid disputes over space, the contractor will run an online system on which residents will be able to book their space and pay the charges digitally.
Despite being illegal, roadside parking continues unabated in the city, often encroaching on public spaces and causing congestion.
GMDA officials said that the authority will also provide enclosed parking sites such as garages or private lots to residents. Terming this the off-street parking plan, they said that it will be available in areas where on-street parking is unfeasible.
The officials, however, said the “on-street, off-street parking plan” will be a stopgap arrangement since the authority plans to construct multilevel parking lots across the city to ensure that vehicles don’t encroach on public roads.
In Gurugram, a city of more than two million residents, there are only 15 sanctioned parking lots set up by Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) and the lone public multilevel parking facility is located in Sector 29.
“As a pilot project, we will begin on-street and off-street parking in Sector 44. We will then identify key locations in the city where smart on-street and off-street parking can be implemented. The model will then be replicated across the state,” said PC Meena, chief executive officer (CEO), GMDA.
Meena directed GMDA’s smart city division to kick-start the project.
“We have asked the relevant teams to identify vacant plots under HSVP and MCG where the system could be implemented to provide better parking facilities. GMDA will provide full technological support and e-auctioning of these sites,” he said.
The width of the road will determine whether on-street parking will be allowed there or not. Space will be designated on the left side of roads for on-street parking, said officials.
According to Meena, officials will ensure that on-street parking does not reduce space for pedestrians. “We have also identified Sadar Bazaar as a potential location for smart on-street parking, and a plan could be ready in two weeks,” he added.
According to officials, the GMDA will maintain and control the digital platform and smart IT solutions developed for the on/off street parking project. The app to be used for this is yet to be selected, said officials.
Construction of three multilevel parking lots on MCG land at Sohna Chowk, Kaman Sarai, and Sadar Bazaar is expected to be completed by the end of the year. A fourth multilevel parking lot will be built near Dak Khana, but HSVP has yet to give MCG the necessary land for the project.
