BMC to develop app to map all parking spaces in Mumbai’s 3 wards on pilot basis

Municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal on Thursday gave a green light for the implementation of a decentralised parking plan in three administrative wards – D ward (Malabar Hill and Peddar Road), K-West ward (Andheri West and Vile Parle West) and S ward (Powai and Bhandup)

Municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal on Thursday gave a green light for the implementation of a decentralised parking plan in three administrative wards – D ward (Malabar Hill and Peddar Road), K-West ward (Andheri West and Vile Parle West) and S ward (Powai and Bhandup).

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Under this plan, the Mumbai Parking Authority (MPA) – a separate body constituted by BMC – will develop a dedicated mobile application on which vehicle owners can find parking lots.

The application will also allow housing societies and commercial complexes to make available to the public the parking lots in their premises.

MPA officials said it would take at least two months before the project takes off.

Prachi Merchant, an MPA member, said, “We are focusing on creating a central database of identifying all parking spaces in a ward. An application programme interface (API) will be created at the ward level as a pilot. All the data on the parking spaces will be put on a mobile app and motorists would be able to check the slots available for them to park in case they visit that area. All agencies, housing societies and commercial complexes having parking lots can put in their slots here. We’ve taken up three wards for now and based on the learnings and findings from here, will take the project ahead.”

BMC in a statement said, “Apart from implementation of the ward-level parking pilot project, it was agreed that the lowest amount of the current parking pricing policy be implemented in the ward plans to ensure it is inclusive and takes into consideration concepts like ‘livelihood discounts’ for yellow plate vehicles wherein vehicle such as autos/taxis/cabs will be charged subsidised rates for parking.”

The statement added, “New concept for valet parking is to be introduced, [there’ll be] consideration for abandoned, deep sleep and towed vehicles, while cycles and essential transport vehicles will be exempted from charges.”

Meanwhile, the civic corporation said a 10,000-square metre plot in M-East ward and two scrapyards in H-East ward are in the process of gaining possession for scrapping junked vehicles.