Urban jungle

As civilisation progressed, human beings moved to cities. However, nowadays they seem to be falling back to the Hobbesian state of nature, which, as the British social philosopher said, is “nasty, brutish and short.” Parking disputes, be they in Delhi, Pune or Mohali, have shown a capacity of bringing out the worst in human beings, with the conflict sometimes degenerating into physical fights, that have occasionally even ended in murder. The trigger for the recent incident in Delhi was a parking dispute. A history of family enmity escalated the matter and resulted in three deaths.

Most cities in India face problems when it comes to parking. Many families own multiple vehicles, whereas the houses or flats they live in have no or negligible parking space. It is all too common to see vehicles lined up on pavements, roads, parks and other public properties as people seek to find space to park their vehicles. Some norms have evolved over time, but in the absence of rules, their success is dependent on everyone following them. When this does not happen, clashes arise.

India may not go the Singapore way in limiting the number of vehicles that can be permitted on the roads, but in general, the principle that if you have enough money to buy a car, you should also have enough to pay for a permanent parking slot should be followed. Once the expectation of free parking is removed from the public mind, effective methods can be evolved. The National Urban Transport Policy of 2006 had proposed a fee-based model of parking. Saturated parking spaces will force off-road solutions and encourage better paid-parking infrastructure. All new construction should be built on stilts to allow adequate parking for the inhabitants of the houses or users of commercial spaces.  Darwin’s “survival of the fittest” maxim need not apply as our urbanscapes come under pressure. For that, attitudinal change is the first step. Socially responsible driving and parking is a fundamental requirement to tame the urban jungle.