Social Car parking facility for local residents -the need of the day
Non availability of car park creating commotion and internal fights, Need for safety and security of vehicles Achievement through cooperation of all concerned Additional source of revenue to civic bodies.
With registration of about 350 cars per day in Mumbai and with approximately 11,00,000 vehicles on the road that has generated growing demand of car parking in many residential areas on public road. This has created chaos in many localities of which Malbar Hill and Malad is a burning example. Some of the important factors are mentioned hereunder for consideration and for arriving at the solution thereto.
1.With the increase in the cars/ vehicles in particular in South Mumbai there is always a shortage of car parking space and in many cases people even use footpaths which are only meant for pedestrians walk for the car park during the day and in the night. This results into embarrassing situations for pedestrians, senior citizens as they have to walk on the public road with high level of traffic risk, exposing themselves to the chance of accidents.
2.With shortage of space and with increasing the number of cars even the person staying in the same lane cannot park the car near their buildings even on the public road and may have to park either in the next lane or some where else. This arises an unsafe position as their car or the spare parts can be stolen easily being unguarded. There are many incidents of car theft on rise in the recent period and this is one of the causes for such thefts.
3.Many colonies like Hindu colony, Shivaji Park, Gamdevi, Colaba-Cuff parades were not plan with a view of the concept of additional load of car park. Even Girgaum Thakurdwar, Lower Parel, “SatRasta” / Mahalaxmi and many such other localities were not considered from this parking angle imaging the huge load and need of car parks. With reconstruction of all such old buildings and increase in the income level of a person buying a car/scooter has become a need for easy communication and is no more a luxury to a common man. All these concepts add to traffic on the road and congestion at car park.
4. Though it is not obligatory on corporation to provide a car park to a person below his building; it is a facility available to every one all these years without much hassles. But this facility now needs to be disciplined through some method considering the principles of equity and social justice.
5.With addition of school buses, tempo and lorry services and their transportation, rickshaws and taxis all have added to the congestion of traffic on the road and in turn for the exclusive car parking facility to the local resident.
6. Our study has further indicated that many people staying in far away suburbs prefer to leave their cars during the night near the railway station or in the nearby safe locality on the public road, to be used next day for the work in city. This way they occupy the car park space, which is actually meant for the local residents. This method also help those people whose cars cannot be spotted easily by the thief as being amongst many cars parked on the public road during the night and their car remains safe and well guarded. Vice versa there are instances that when people come to work prefer to leave their car in such lanes close to their work area so that they have not to pay parking charges. So also there are cases wherein people come from a far places park their car in safe area, do their job using taxi during the day and while returning take their car back occupying the car space which is meant for some resident during the day.
7. In many cases with the ease of car loan many persons buy a car but avoid buying a garage due to high cost instead prefer to keep a car on the public road being freely available.
8. In order to provide the justice to the local residents who are closed to such mix activity zone like shopping/commercial and who are deprived of the car parking facility near their house in their lane I propose to introduce the following social scheme which may be beneficiary to all including corporation, public at large and visitors to the locality.
The Social Car parking Scheme-
1.This is not Pay and Park scheme as proposed by the Corporation on the commercial basis in various located spots. This is a voluntary scheme through cooperation of all residents and is not mandatory for every one to join. But this scheme would give you an exclusive right to park the car within your lane ,well guarded by the security of your own association.
This is a social scheme benefiting both the Corporation and the local residents. In this scheme the residents of the lane have to form an association with car owners as a bona fide member, which is the basic qualification to be a member of the association in addition to he/she must be the resident of that lane.
The lane car parking may be allotted to the local residents’ association of that lane or the locality as the case may be for management who would allot the car space in their lane to the local residents for day and night parking.
The allotment of the car park shall be exclusively to the car owners who reside in that lane having the registration of the car in their own name or that of the nearest relative like wife, daughter, son who is/are residing with the main resident.
The allotment shall be done on equal basis i.e. all single car owners shall have the first right of allotment through their local association and if space permits the second car space can be allotted to the same person and accordingly the third car and so on.
Out of the total space 10% of the car space should be reserved for visitors car parking which will be a paid parking as the car park is being maintained by the lane association. This will restrict free traffic in the lane and can have some discipline which will prevent outsiders from parking the car specifically during night in their lane. This would ensure the safety of the car of the local residents. This will also restrict unidentified car/stolen care being parked in the lane/area.
The car park shall be demarked by yellow strips (as defined by RTO) and the individual car space shall be marked at site with placement of display board indicating the details of resident association and that of the scheme like -(dedicated car park). Visitors car park shall be separately marked with a display board indicating no. of cars for visitors.
The association would appoint their own security to manage the car park and for the safety of the members’ cars for such charges as may be decided by the association. This will replace the commercial pay and park in the residential locality. The people can conduct cooperative movements through such association creating a feeling of coordination and cooperation with a common bond bringing some discipline instead of present day commotion in parking.
The association will obtain the necessary permission from RTO for road regulations and traffic movements and from MCGB for such exclusive car park.
10.The parking of cars shall be on one side on the road with width of 20′-0″ and above in one way lanes while road width with 40′-0″ and above it will be on both side being two way directional vehicular movements. (presently this is practice adopted every where in mumbai for parking)
11.In turn Corporation would be paid a nominal amount payable by the association of the local residents for allowing the exclusive car park for local residents.
12.This scheme would be beneficial to both i.e. to Corporation on one part as a source of revenue income and on the other part to the local residents for the safety of their cars with assured parking. This will also reduce the traffic on road, as visitors may not use their car for short distances as he/she may have to pay for the parking charges and may adopt alternative transportation system.
13.This will reduce the congestion, streamline the parking facility and shall introduce some discipline in traffic and other related problems.
I hope you will appreciate the scheme and would like to execute the same in your respective locality/Lane by forming your own association. The scheme is introduce at the public forum for discussion and more awareness as to what our society can do in the common interest of everyone. The lacunas in the scheme can be removed through discussion to achieve the perfection.
Dr Jayant Sathe