Residential Parking Permits – Managing Local Area Parking

In their opinion…

Amit Garg

Additional Commissioner of Police,

Traffic, Hyderabad

The parking situation in Hyderabad City is pathetic as there is violation of rules while granting of trade license to the commercial establishment by the municipal authorities. The old commercial establishments also do not have sufficient parking place and therefore it leads to traffic congestion. The residential areas are converted into commercial by the municipal authorities and there are no checks on unauthorised commercial establishment in residential areas. Paid parking facility outsourced by the municipal authority operates by charging more than authorised. The commuters/shoppers do not follow the parking rules especially, for valet and cellar parking. There is a tendency for them to park on the road just outside the multiplexes/restaurants/place of amusement.

There are many areas where I would say we need to see changes : Issue of trade licence, earmarking place of parking to all commercial and residential establishments, removal of encroachments & hawkers, ensuring that footpaths are used only for pedestrians and not for parking and road widening so that sufficient carriageway is earmarked for free flow of traffic. There should be strict implementation of licencing rules by the municipal authorities, especially the parking aspect. Old establishments should also have parking rules, otherwise they always take the plea that they are vintage establishments. There should be clear, thoughtfully designed signboards of no parking zones, made in coordination with local traffic police. The common man should be educated not to obstruct the traffic with unauthorised parking. There should be stringent penalty for violators.

We could also use some of the technologies and ideas that are used abroad. For example, metering system in parking areas, which will be transparent and self operated. Also, the kerbs can be used for parking in such a way as not to obstruct free flow of traffic.

Motorists are always a challenge for the traffic police to enforce parking rules because they normally ask for parking areas convenient to them. They also tend to argue with traffic police. Another challenge is lack of parking areas, especially in the commercial zones. Clearing encroachments by petty vendors and hawkers is also quite a difficult task. Traffic police is dependent on many factors for free flow of traffic like maintenance of traffic signals, maintenance of good roads, earmarking the place of parking, signage, stop lines and infrastructure like roads and flyovers.

Kevin Kelly

CEO, GlobeTech

Ireland

The single biggest issue I see with parking in India is the lack of understanding, knowledge and interest in addressing the chronic traffic situation that cities in India have to face each day. The missed opportunity this represents and the detrimental effect this has on the quality of life in India?s cities are not being appreciated. I believe lack of clear policies, in relation to parking management at the highest levels in these cities, is at the heart of the problem. Traffic and Parking management is not a new concept; Indian cities are not the first cities in the world to face such problems. Tried and tested solutions are available and evident in many cities around the world.

The city managers have to address the problem and this involves creating an effective parking authority to determine the cities parking policies and implement these policies. This should involve engaging with the public to educate and inform the public on such policies and why parking management is required.

The infrastructure required to support these policies has to be rolled out and these polices have to be then enforced in a fair and even manner. India can learn from the city of Abu Dhabi, where four years ago parking management did not exist and traffic congestion was similar to any major Indian city. Today after four years of parking management using GlobeTech?s gTicket suite of products, the city has transformed its parking congestion problem into free flow traffic streets, all self-funded through parking income. Indian cities have grown at a phenomenal rate over the past 10 years challenging city managers in many ways, traffic and parking being just one area. Ignoring the growing traffic and parking problem is having a significant detrimental effect on the economic life of the cities and should be addressed as a matter of urgency.