Noida: Multilevel parking in Sector 18 fails to attract vehicles - Hindustan Times
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Noida: Multilevel parking in Sector 18 fails to attract vehicles

Hindustan Times | BySnehil Sinha, Noida
Apr 23, 2018 11:06 PM IST

Just 200 takers a day for the 3,000-vehicle capacity multilevel parking. Similarity in charges between surface parking and the 8-storey facility, flawed footpath design and lacking road infrastructure have left this facility deserted

Inaugurated three months ago with the aim of decongesting Sector 18 and surrounding areas, the multilevel car parking (MLCP) remains deserted, with motorists still choosing to park their vehicles on the roads and in the Sector 18 market complex.

A view of the deserted multilevel parking in Sector 18.(Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)
A view of the deserted multilevel parking in Sector 18.(Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

The Hindustan Times visited the eight-storeyed MLCP and found flaws in footpath design, road infrastructure, and last-mile connectivity from the MLCP to the various markets, among other reasons, as the factors contributing to this 3,000-vehicle capacity lot attracting a mere 200 vehicles per day.

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However, the chief among these factors is the parking rate, which is similar to the parking rate in surrounding markets and malls (see box).

Shop owners in Sector 18 market said the similarity between surface parking rates and the MLCP rates defeats the purpose of building the facility.

“The MLCP was aimed at reducing congestion by shifting, at least, the regular vehicles (from the surface parking). However, since the rates are the same, the MLCP is not a very attractive option for shopkeepers. Why would people pay the same amount of money and still walk a distance? They would rather park closer to their shops,” said SK Jain, president of the Sector 18 market association.

The parking rates for shopkeepers have been fixed at 1,000 per month and for others at 1,500 per month. But, the shop owners are hesitant to take the monthly pass as they are required to furnish their shop ownership details. According to a shop owner, when he did provide the relevant documents, he was asked to submit them again during renewal.

“Why should we submit our property details? These are personal (documents) and can be misused. We had suggested that they (the authority) take our electricity or landline bills (as proof of ownership), but they insist that only proof of property ownership would be accepted,” Sector 18 market association vice-president Anita Singh said.

In the absence of monetary incentives to park at the MLCP, most regular visitors to the Sector 18 market, including shop owners and staff, park their vehicles in the overcrowded market area itself.

Commenting on making parking at the MLCP lucrative for the regulars, Noida authority chief engineer Sandeep Chandra said, “The IRC code for multilevel parking states that no surface parking should be allowed within a kilometre of a multilevel parking. In cases where it is allowed, the rate of the surface parking can be up to 20 times that of the MLCP. We have not taken such strong steps in the interest of the shop owners and staff there. We can follow the regulations.”

Additionally, of the eight floors, only three are fully operational as of now. With all the lifts yet to become fully operational, only two floors—ground and first—are being used.

The MLCP operators said the demand for parking at the MLCP only increases when there are events in the malls or hotels nearby.

“On weekends, about 500 cars are parked there. The situation is similar when there is a function in Radisson Blu hotel or in the DLF Mall of India. Once the lifts become operational, we expect that more vehicles will be parked there,” said Pradeep Pratap, the project engineer of Pratibha Industry Limited, which
was hired to construct the MLCP, and hand it over to DLF Limited. The MLCP as well as the surface parking in Sector 18 will both be managed by DLF Limited, eventually.

The lifts at the MLCP are undergoing trials and are expected to be operational in the next eight to 10 days.

Though the MLCP is barely at a distance of 300 to 400 metres from all markets and entertainment centres in the area, it stands in a secluded corner raising safety concerns among shoppers, most of whom walk to the markets in the absence of autos and cycle-rickshaws.

Also, there were no footpaths from the MLCP to the markets.

The footpath immediately outside the MLCP is about 1.5- to 2-feet high when guidelines of the India Roads Congress (IRC Code 103 of 2012) clearly state 15cm as the maximum height for all footpaths. Footpaths further down the road are broken and obstructed by large cement blocks or live wires hanging loose from electricity pillars.

In fact, there are no footpaths between ‘Wave One’ construction site and the Sector 18 market. Instead, cars and motorbikes are parked on both sides of the road, making the stretch very unfriendly for pedestrians and the physically challenged.

The drains to the left of the footpath are also open.

Meanwhile, urban planning experts pointed out several design flaws in the accessibility of the MLCP, all of which are important for making the facility a viable parking option.

“The important landmarks around the multilevel parking should be easily accessible for all kinds of users, including the physically challenged. The path should be shaded and unobstructed. The parking rates have to be lower than the surface parking so that more people are encouraged to use it. In fact, the surface parking rates should be made prohibitive if on-street parking needs to be reduced,” OP Agarwal, urban transport expert and CEO of WRI India, said.

Agarwal chairs the committee formed to formulate Delhi’s parking policy.

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