BMC looks for more space near 8 PPLs

To make space for more cars, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) along with Mumbai Parking Authority (MPA) is looking for additional parking slots near

To make space for more cars, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) along with Mumbai Parking Authority (MPA) is looking for additional parking slots near public parking lots (PPL) that are high in demand.

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From July 2019, the BMC has been levying heavy fine ranging around ₹10,000 for parking on roads illegally within 500-m radius of PPLs.

After backlash, the penalty amount was recently reduced to ₹4,000. Of the 29 PPLs, eight see high occupancy, with vehicle owners finding it difficult to get a slot there. The civic body wants additional on-street parking slots outside 500-m radius of these PPLs. Among the busiest PPLs are the ones on Altamount Road, Nepean Sea Road, Sewri, Chandivali Farm Road, Goregaon, Trios Mall in Bandra, Powai and Mulund.

“We have asked the MPA to identify spots where we can have additional parking slots. We need to create more space near these eight PPLs. One of the reasons for the higher occupancy there is because they are in commercial areas or high-density areas and in a few cases, the capacity is only 100 or 200,” said a BMC official.

“The additional on-street parking slots will act as surplus infrastructure to these existing highly used PPLs. However, these additional parking slots might not be in the 500-metre range of the PPL, considering those are the streets where we are levying heavy fines for parking illegally. So the additional slots will be made outside the 500-m radius,” he said.

The usage of PPLs in 14 administrative wards of the BMC has increased after the implementation of heavy fines. For example, in case of PPLs in Sewri, Elphinstone Road, Kalina, Andheri West, Chandivli, Goregaon East, Goregaon West and Kanjurmarg, the occupancy rate has gone up to 15%-40%. In case of a PPL in Trios Mall at Bandra west, which has a capacity of 90 vehicles, the occupancy was nil, but it is now being utilised to its maximum capacity.

Moreover, the BMC and MPA as part of preparing a parking map for the city are in the process of identifying new parking and no-parking roads in the city.

AV Shenoy, member of Mumbai Vikas Samiti, a forum of transport experts, said, “The identification of additional slots should be done on the basis of demand, and not just availability. If required, the BMC can relax the 500-m rule around these places.”