Open House: Is community parking a viable option in Chandigarh?

Community parking is a good idea but there should be no charge. The administration should not charge for parking vehicles on streets. The public is already hard pressed due to various taxes.

Sonu Verma, Chandigarh

MC should cut down on its expenditure

The cost of berms, parks and open spaces are included at the time of calculating the per-sq yd cost of a plot. Now, the MC cannot levy fee for using these facilities by residents. It is only creating ways to enhance revenue. The civic body should cut on its expenditures instead of putting more burden of levies on the residents.

Kirpal Singh, Chandigarh

Stilt parking must for new constructions

The MC is using our plight to generate more revenue. Stilt parking should be made mandatory for new constructions. The MC must allot free space for one or two cars to each family outside their property and modify the service lanes to create parking space. Various charges and indirect taxes take away almost 50 per cent of the salary. Community parking also may not suit the aged and infirm.

Col PS GILL (Retd)

Proposed system will create problems

If the administration wants to implement the “paid parking” system on the streets of Sector 35, then it must introduce the same system in the residential areas for government officials. The proposed system will create more problems rather than sorting out parking issues. It will lead to a decrease in green area. Parking cars at one place will increase risk of damage to vehicles in case of fire or theft. Therefore, don’t prescribe a medicine which is more harmful than the ailment.

Capt Amar Jeet, Kharar

It’s need of the hour

Community parking on a chargeable basis is the need of the hour as most residents prefer personal vehicles over public transport. Potted plants can be encouraged outside houses to free much space on the path for pedestrians. This will dissuade people from parking vehicles on streets. Charging for street parking will not help as you cannot ascertain the details of persons parking vehicles on streets.

Sapna Sharda, Chandigarh

Make use of vacant space at corner houses

To address parking woes in the tricity, the authorities should form a committee and do an area-wise survey. Identify places where local residents can park their vehicles free of cost. Vacant places and non-maintained parks are being misused by people. Residents have encroached on space around corner houses. These spaces should be used for community parking. Non-maintained internal parks can be used as parking lots. The authorities should provide all such basic facilities before levying charges for vehicles parked on streets and outside houses.

Sameer Dhawan

Levying fee no solution to problem

The administration’s plan to impose fee for street parking is irrational, anti-people and a sheer commercialisation of policies. No doubt, parking space is shrinking on streets but that doesn’t allow the authorities to make money out of it. It’s their duty to come up with a policy to ease the situation such as creating community parking and banning parking of more than a limited number of vehicles in front of a house as per its size. Imposing a fee will in no way ease the situation.

RP Malhotra, Panchkula

Community parking in city a must

The number of vehicles is increasing and so is traffic congestion in the city. People tend to only speak and want the administration to solve the problem, but when the latter come up with a plan, there is a hue and cry. The decision is justified and it will prevent petty fights among neighbours over wrong parking.

Capt Bikram Pal Singh

Build more multilevel parking lots

It is not fair to charge residents for street parking. Rather, the UT authorities should consider setting up more multilevel parkings. A nominal fee may be charged for safe parking at these places on an hourly basis. The revenue thus generated can be spent on other welfare projects.

Col TBS Bedi, Mohali

Increase vehicle registration fee

The decision to allow floor-wise sale of houses and increasing floor area are among the prime reasons for parking blues. Instead of levying a fee for street parking, the administration should come up with solutions such as increasing registration fee for households buying more than two cars, ensuring houses with area more than one kanal have “pucca” space outside for car parking, instead of landscaping etc.

Sikander Singh, Chandigarh

Households own more cars than they need

Free parking and low car registration charges have resulted in the city getting choked with cars. Households own more cars than they need. In Singapore, 99% car owners don’t own a second vehicle. The government there levies car parking charges on a per minute basis or about $70 per day. Hardly anyone goes to the workplace in his or her own car. However,

in the tricity, car parking on public land has become a status symbol. To free public places from car parking, the authorities should levy parking fee.

Ashok Kumar Goel, Panchkula

Implementation to be a real challenge

There’s no doubt that everyone is fed up with streets being choked with parked cars. On the face of the new system seems good, but its implementation will be a real challenge. One fails to understand how charges for street parking will reduce congestion. Community parking at a distance will put women and senior citizens to a great disadvantage. One solution could be to change the Master Plan and make provision for stilt parking in new constructions. Space around the parks could be increased and used for overnight parking. The administration should seek suggestions from the general public before implementing any plans.

Joginder Singh, Chandigarh

Link registration to parking space

To solve the problem of increasing vehicles on streets, community parking lots should be constructed at the earliest. As a permanent solution, the administration should make it compulsory for a car buyer to provide the details of parking space before registering the vehicle.

KC Rana, Chandigarh

Don’t burden UT residents with levies

The residents of the city are already paying hefty taxes. It is not right to put more burden on them. Local associations should make sure that residents and visitors do not park vehicles haphazardly on streets.

Moti Ram Bhateja, Nayagaon

Go for ‘one home, one car’ policy

Residents have disapproved of the administration’s decision to levy a fee for street parking in Sector 35. It should go for “one home, one car” policy instead. The public transportation should be encouraged. It will reduce the number of personal vehicles on the city roads as well lessen traffic chaos.

Vijay Malia, Chandigarh

Set up common parking lots

The community parking plan of the administration may not prove beneficial. Only the parking with increased sense of using minimum space can help reduce chaos on roads. Setting up parking lots at a common place other than roads will be a good idea. The increasing number of vehicles per house, sale of houses floor-wise, PGs and renting out houses have led to parking problems in front of houses. The sale of vehicles has to be based on the availability of parking space at home.

Wg Cdr JS Minhas (retd), Mohali

Convert house gardens into parking space

To decongest streets, community parking by charging a nominal fee is a viable option. Residents should park their vehicles inside premises as much as possible. Green areas outside every house can be converted into parking spaces by residents.

Abhilasha Gupta, Mohali

Take views of RWAs before implementation

The plan is a novel idea that shall go a long way in easing traffic congestion on streets. This system is already in place in many countries and has been fairly successful. Before implementing the scheme, it, however, has to be ensured that RWAs are consulted and their views on the selection of parking sites as well as nominal fee are considered.

Dr Dinesh Kumar Verma, Panchkula

It’s too little, too late

It is heartening that finally, the administration has thought of starting a pilot project for community parking at Sector 35. But it’s too little and too late because even if the policy proves successful, it will take a few years to implement it in the entire city. As of now, the city needs an immediate short-term plan to resolve the issue. It is also suggested that the car purchase is linked to parking space available with the owner. There should be a fine for parking vehicles in parks or green belts. In fact, the administration should develop basement parking on a war footing in public parks. The public transport system needs to be made user-friendly. Market welfare associations should be involved in taking charge of parking lots.

Yash Khetarpal, Panchkula

Build multilevel parking lots in parks

This city was originally meant for a population of 5-6 lakh. With increasing population, there is a rise in the number of vehicles, which everyone needs and has the right to own. The administration should build a multilevel parking for at least 500 cars in one park at each sector. Reasonable parking charges can be levied yearly. In will solve the parking problem in sectors and the space outside houses will remain available for guests parking.

Arun Jain, Mani Majra

Find a permanent parking solution

No doubt, community parking is the need of the hour, particularly in sectors with marla houses and government accommodation where streets are narrow. So smart parking solutions should be introduced in these areas. Parking zones and spaces must be clearly demarcated. Vacant spaces should be put to use to ease the parking situation.

Anita K Tandon, Mundi Kharar

Underground parking

The decision of the UT administration to ask the MC for the implementing of the paid community parking system in Sector 35 as a pilot project seems to be a positive step towards decongesting the sector roads. The authorities must resolve to limit the number of cars registered on the same name to keep the number of vehicles on roads in check. Also, common underground parkings should be built in all sectors at parks. This will certainly help decongest the sector roads.

Sanjay Chopra, Mohali

Not fair to charge residents for parking

Since the residents are already paying road as well as property tax, it is not fair at all to now charge them for community parking. Moreover, the guard will not be responsible for a damage caused to a vehicle. It’s the duty of the MC to mark some space in the sectors where the residents of the 1st and 2nd floors can park their vehicles, as every person is paying the road tax. School grounds can be used as parking lots during the festival season.

Savita Kuthiala

Make optimum use of vacant spaces

The proposal of UT administration for paid community parking is not a viable proposition. This will not solve the problem of congestion on roads in residential areas. Instead, vacant pieces of land should be identified and RWAs involved to build multi-level parkings there.

RPS Chopra, Chandigarh

Dedicated team to supervise project

The Chandigarh Administration has limited options to deal with the parking problem in sectors. It should go ahead with this pilot project and may take help from the market welfare associations and RWAs. It is important that the pilot project is supervised by a dedicated team and its outcome analysed for implementation in other sectors.

Vijay Shukla, Chandigarh

Improve public transport

Combined efforts by the authorities and the public can help minimise the problem. Clicking pictures of violations for challans and improving the public transport is the need of the hour. Smart parking, if becomes feasible, will provide relief to people and they won’t mind shelling out extra as it would save them time as also petty fights over faulty parking. Families opting for more cars should pay more tax as many people consider buying a car a status symbol. Authorities should check if people have parking space and only then allow them to purchase vehicles. Residents buying more vehicles than what the family requires should be charged hefty registration fee.

Charu Malhotra, Mohali

Appreciable move

Parking issues in residential areas are plaguing the city, which needs to be addressed urgently. Community parking planned by the UT Administration on a trial basis in one of the sectors is appreciable. It should be ensured that roads and pavements in the area are made free from parked vehicles. Such parking trials should be replicated in more sectors if proved successful.

IRA Rajpreet, Chandigarh

Not a viable option allow only three vehicles per house

The option in reference will create many problems for residents, MC and the public. The community parking lots should be handed over to the sector associations. It will solve both parking and traffic problems. The authorities should not allow more than three vehicles per house.

Bharat Bhushan Sharma

Elderly persons to be affected

Paid parking on streets is not a viable option to decongest roads. Rather, the UT Administration can make carports attached to houses. It would be difficult for elderly or infirm persons to walk down to houses from community parking space. New buildings ought to have an individual parking space.

Saanvi Shriya, Chandigarh

Need for other alternatives

The administration should provide all facilities to the public. All parking spaces should be easily approachable for residents. Security guards should be appointed there and their expenses should be borne by the administration because enough road tax has been collected by it. There is no need for other alternatives.

Sumesh Kumar Badhwar, Mohali

Keep levy on owners reasonable

This is a viable option adopted by the Chandigarh Administration. One thing must be kept in mind that there should be a reasonable fee for street parking.

Adish Sood, Amloh

Not viable for V5, V6 roads

Paid street parking is not a viable project, especially on V5 and V6 roads. The administration can charge fee for parking on V 4 road and in the market. Traffic is a big challenge for the city, especially outside vehicles, so parking fee will not solve the issue, rather cause undue harassment to local residents.

Avinash Goyal, Chandigarh

Let RWAs, residents find solution

Let RWAs and residents deliberate on the parking problems and find a solution. Let them make their own rules and guidelines to end parking woes. Parking in sectors is a problem that will escalate due to high density of vehicles per resident. The administration has failed to provide an efficient public transport. We have electric buses but how many residents are aware of the bus routes? The administration should look into these aspects for the betterment of the city by getting more vehicles off the road.

Dr Rajeev Kumar, Chandigarh

Not a good idea

Paid community parking is not a very appropriate idea to get over parking blues. In case of emergency, cars parked at a distance from houses would be a great disadvantage. It would also burn a hole in residents’ pockets

Tanishka Chandela, Chandigarh

Prepare SOP that is acceptable to all

The community parking suggestion mooted by the MC is a welcome move but its success will depend on its implementation. An SOP acceptable to all residents has to be prepared. The MC can think of developing multilevel or underground parkings in big sectors and rent these out. It will generate revenue for the MC as well. We can also suggest that before the registration of new vehicles, buyers may be asked to produce parking space proof.

Dr Anil Kumar Yadav, Chandigarh

Educate people to park cars inside

In my perspective, paid parking won’t be a perfect solution. Any person purchasing a new car should produce a proof of proper parking slot. People must be educated to park their cars inside their premises only. The authorities must keep a check on the number of cars bought by each family, which should not be more than two cars per family. In case a family requires a third one, they must come up with a valid reason and must be charged some hefty amount as monthly fee. To reduce the number of vehicles in the city, the public transport needs to be made user-friendly.

Manseerat Kaur, Chandigarh

QUESTION

Mismanagement and chaos are commonplace at many paid-parking lots in Chandigarh. Visitors have to grapple with haphazard parking in the absence of enough attendants at the lots. What steps should the Municipal Corporation take to ensure the firms allotted parking contracts provide services promised to people?

Suggestions in not more than 70 words can be sent to openhouse@tribunemail.com