New draft policy to ease parking hassels

While its London counterpart has teams managing every borough, in Mumbai a ward-wise parking management plan with marked parking bays and an increase in the number of parking wardens is on the anvil. The project is being headed by P Velrasu, additional municipal commissioner

Mumbai In order to straighten out the chaotic fashion of parking in the city, Mumbai Parking Authority (MPA), a committee constituted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has come up with a draft policy to streamline on-street and off-street parking.

New draft policy to ease parking hassels

MPA was set up in the wake of Bombay high court’s order in November last year which mandated that BMC form a body along the lines of London Parking Authority. It comprises a team of urban, policy, transport and environmental planners, and technical analysts. MPA is headed by Ramnath Jha, the chairperson of Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee.

While its London counterpart has teams managing every borough, in Mumbai a ward-wise parking management plan with marked parking bays and an increase in the number of parking wardens is on the anvil. The project is being headed by P Velrasu, additional municipal commissioner.

Prachi Merchant, a senior urban planner from MPA, said the new policy will be a break-away from the earlier policy which was just a price chart and will be a “comprehensive document on parking”. Every ward and street in Mumbai will have a parking plan – some streets will have pay-and-park spaces or no space for parking at all.

“This is to achieve efficiency in parking, regulated parking, and booking and payment on an IT platform. Parking bays will be marked on the street, while the parking fee will be reasonable,” said Merchant. The draft proposal has been sent to the urban development department.

Merchant added that there are nine verticals in the project -- framing a legal set-up, guidelines about the policy, creating an IT interface, a ward-wise parking management plan, installation of road-signages, empowering the BMC with power to enforce rules, communication and sensitisation programme, creating a scrapyard and framing a Mumbai parking pool.

“Each street will have a parking proposal; either it will be pay-and-park or no parking, or pick-up and drop, loading-unloading, residential and general parking, based on the width of the road,” added Merchant. The plan has been prepared, in associating with TISS.

Advertising campaigns will be put out both through hoardings and social media, following which wardens will be taught how to communicate with vehicle owners and drivers for on-street parking. This strategy was prepared by an agency called OPEN. MPA will roll out the campaign when the IT interface is ready.

“Parking on street will no longer be free. The parking attendants will drive home the importance of on-street parking. We have prepared guidelines with professionals where 18 kinds of people from the city who drive vehicles such as bus, taxi, autorickshaw, car, two-wheeler, truck, chauffer driven car and women drivers were interviewed to understand their pain points,” said Merchant. She added that a messaging system has been devised to address their issues.

Merchant elaborated on the needs of these segments of drivers. “An autorickshaw driver has a pattern of working for a few hours and then resting. He needs a parking space or auto stands and resting places. So, can we think about it in the public parking lots? They go to their villages for months so there will be a space secured for their rickshaws. They want a place for parking at night too where their vehicles are safe. We will address these issues,” she said.

Likewise, MPA has also devised a parking plan for chauffeur driven cars. Drivers will be able to spot free spots through an app which they can book immediately by paying online. Additionally, BMC will increase the number of parking wardens.

Lastly, the civic body is also scouting for a scrapyard for abandoned vehicles or end-of-life vehicles. It has floated a Request for Proposal (RFP) this year for appointing an IT company; a legal set up will come into place. Presently, the civic body has no legal authority to impose fines for illegal parking. The draft proposal makes empowers BMC to act against the prevalent illegal parking menace.

Velrasu said, “The draft policy has evolved keeping in mind the parking requirements of a modern city. This policy will bring much efficiency in space management, interface with citizens and information availability.”