Page 52 - TrafficInfraTech Dec-Jan 2019

PARKING

have kept adding to their parking ranges between 350-550 square feet
spaces but since then, they have started (a typical 1 BHK), one space must be
to reduce them by converting them to provided for every two flats. For every
public spaces and bicycle parking. This, 2 BHK (550-750 square feet), a space
she said, has reduced the number of become mandatory. A 3 BHK (more than
kilometres travelled by automobiles 800 square feet) compulsorily needs two
and encouraged a modal shift to more parking spaces. Similarly, in commercial
sustainable forms of transport. “Indian buildings, one needs to provide one
cities need to think about introducing parking slot per 37.5 square metre, upto
parking caps like Amsterdam and 1500 square metres.
Copenhagen, which have parking An earlier version of Mumbai’s
For off-street parking in maximums, not minimums.” In areas Development Plan allowed a trade-off
well-connected by Metros or BRTS,
between residential/commercial space
buildings, Indian cities developers are not allowed to provide and parking area. “So if you don’t want
should now shift to more than a certain amount of parking. a car park, you can always use the space
Deshpande gave the example of a well-
‘parking maximums’ from connected London commercial building for something else. Unfortunately, this
was scrapped.”
‘parking minimums’ where which has just five parking spaces, that How is a parking lot designed?
it is not mandatory for too only for disabled individuals. Pai explained that “Conventionally,
A single parking space measures
the developer to provide five metres by two metres, but the physical measurements are taken at
the site to understand whether a car
minimum private vehicle space required to manoeuvre a car can fit there or not, how much width
parking in buildings. into the space is much more. In the can be provided. Nowadays, we use
total area required to park a car,
AutoCAD software to optimise the
European cities put an affordable room for low-cost space by creating 3D models instead
‘parking supply caps’ in housing or a small office can be of 2D models. A parking layout can be
accommodated.
their development control One good example of optimum auto-generated by a computer.”
regulations. utilisation of space is a Chinese parking
model in which the utilisation of parking
Pranjali Deshpande spaces on weekends and weekdays is
different. On weekdays, people drive
their vehicles out of residential areas, and
The sight of cars double-parked, or the spaces they vacate become available
parked on the footpath and in no-parking for cars coming to adjoining commercial
areas is ubiquitous. But according to areas. Thus, apartment buildings are
Deshpande, “Parking does not have earning revenue from opening up their
a supply issue; it has a management parking spaces and the efficiency of
problem, because people will always parking areas increases as well.
choose to park for free on the road rather “We cannot immediately do away Parking supply caps in
than pay for parking in parking lots”. with parking, because there are already Indian cities will allow
“We do have minimum parking a lot of people who have bought and developers to use same
regulations in our Development Control are using cars; what we can do is kind
Regulations”, she said, “which make it of restrict them, “ said Vivek Pai. space for other uses
compulsory for developers to provide Most cities have Development especially habitable
a certain amount of parking, but it Control Regulations which specify how rooms. From ‘parking’ to
also indicates that that city planners much parking should be provided,
are saying, ‘Okay, let people buy more proportional to the area being developed. ‘park’ (open spaces) is the
vehicles, why should we think about For example, if the area of a flat is less way to go!.
providing public transport?’”. than 35 square metres, no parking needs
Until 2000, European countries be provided. But in buildings where a flat Vivek Pai

52 December ’18 - January ’19 / TrafficInfraTech www.trafficinfratech-com-500653.hostingersite.com