Traffic think tank shoots down BMC’s parking lot freebie
Suggests paid parking in bylanes instead of creating underground ones.
DNA’s August 12 story on the infrastructure breakdown the swamp of residential high-rises in central Mumbai is likely to cause has prompted strong reactions from the public. The story had also highlighted how the civic body’s scheme of providing extra FSI in lieu of public parking lots may backfire.
On Friday, Mumbai Environmental Social Network (MSEN), a think tank devoted to parking issues in the city, said that offering such an incentive, especially in the already choked central Mumbai, is suicidal.
In a letter to civic commissioner S Kshatriya, MESN has said that giving free FSI for multi-storey parking, and spending crores for underground parking is anti-people, anti-public transport and will hurt the environment. The group has alleged that the scheme is a scam as one public parking lot accrues the builder 300 sq ft (in reality 220 sq ft) of FSI, which is worth Rs30 lakh.
“It means an additional population of 1.5 lakh, 50,000 cars (at the rate of 1.25 cars per flat), almost 35,000 drivers, and 1 lakh extra staff working as security guards, cooks and maids, which is bound to create new slums. This additional densification will not only put a major strain on civic infrastructure, but will also create perpetual traffic jams as there are virtually no new roads planned,” MSEN said in the letter.
The think tank has asked the BMC to consider sustainable parking instead. MSEN has suggested three measures: Convert free parking in bylanes into pay-and-park, although subject to sensible rules such as minimum lane width, introduce night-time parking, and thirdly, rationalise tariff for on-road parking, which has been frozen for a long time.
“About 30,000 parking slots can be found at no cost. Motorists prefer organised on-road parking as it is easily accessible. The rate should be flat, with Rs10 being the minimum, and Rs30 the maximum, and an extra charge of Rs10 for imported cars and SUVs, which occupy more space.
“This will not only increase BMC’s revenue, but will also facilitate better management, which is not possible at the present low tariff,” MSEN has said.