Mumbaikars will soon have to pay more to park in posh areas

Areas like Crawford Market, Colaba, BKC, Bandra West, etc, will see high parking charges. File pic

A year from now, you may have to shell out a much higher fee to park your vehicles at civic-run parking lots. With its parking policy expiring next year, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is gearing up to form a new, costlier one to reduce congestion and encourage people to use public transport.

While the BMC claims that the plan will be formulated in coordination with the Mumbai Parking Authority (MPA) and won't be implemented without its approval, sources revealed that citizens may have to pay much more than the existing rate of R60 per hour.

This, when development of infrastructure for parking spaces remains unplanned. The current policy divides the city based on primacy of areas into A, B and C classes - where parking in Fort and Colaba costs R60 per hour and that in Govandi costs R45 per hour. In the new plan, charges will likely be based on ready reckoner rates or the traffic of the area in question.

A BMC parking lot in Chandivli. File pic

MPA's advisors have been asked to study parking policies of other cities and foreign countries. An official from the Traffic department said, "We have roped in experts to study various parking models and develop a formula. We can either base the charges on ready reckoner rates or on the traffic congestion."

BMC aims to decongest congested areas by levying high parking charges in prime areas. The idea is to also reduce people's tendency to rely on private vehicles and increase use of public transport. According to a civic official, an MMRDA study had also suggested a Congestion Tax on vehicles in congested areas, which is also being considered. Areas that will likely have high parking charges under the prospective plan are Colaba, Cuffe Parade, Malabar Hill in the island city; parts of Bandra, Andheri, Kurla, and Ghatkopar.

Sanjay Darade, chief engineer of Roads and Traffic department was not available for comment. An official unwilling to be named said, "Parking models of other cities like Delhi, Chandigarh and some foreign cities are being studied. The idea is to have variable charges. MPA experts and the committee will take a final call on the policy and the rates. The existing pay and park policy will expire on March 31, 2021. We will take all measures to ensure that it doesn't face the wrath of the public and is accepted."

One of the MPA expert advisors not willing to be named said, "The planning is at a very primitive stage and the formulas are not yet incepted. Thus it will be incorrect to talk about it."

Transport expert Jitendra Gupta said, "Increase, revision, review or whatever they may be thinking of and whatever model they may want to adopt - the problem is that BMC is not planning the most important thing - infrastructure for parking. They planned to create space in housing societies - that plan is still on paper. Charges should be secondary and creating more parking space should be the government's focus. Especially when it is not willing to limit the registration of new vehicles."

Rs 60
Current hourly parking charge in areas like Fort and Colaba

Rs 45
Current hourly parking charge in Govandi

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