Which is that “ Parking Space “ for my car ?

 Context :

No more free street parking for residents; BMC to start pilot in four wards  /  HT  /  22 Aug 2022

 

Extract :

Mumbai The civic body will implement paid on-street parking in four administrative wards in the city, which will allow citizens to park their vehicles in designated areas under close circuit camera television (CCTV) surveillance

 

“… Also, based on land use and road characteristics we have proposed on-street parking. It will be applied to residential areas where residents do not have space inside their buildings or society premises to park,” said Prachi Merchant, who leads the TISS team said

 

Residents, who park their vehicles on the street for free, will be charged as roads belong to the BMC. They will be required to book their slots in advance and pay a monthly or annual fee.

 

 

“As of last year, 36 lakh cars are registered in the city. So, we will never be able to match the demand. One needs to bring a policy of putting a curb on private vehicle ownership but that can be done effectively when public transportation like the metro is operational,” she said.

 

 

However, some aspects of the pilot will remain constant. For once, citizens will be able to book their parking space and pay for it digitally.

 

 

The MPA have also completed a manual on the appropriate signage and markings to identify the streets reserved for this pilot project. The BMC will allot stickers to cars in cases of residential parking.

 

 

However, the pricing is still under discussion. The MPA has proposed a draft parking policy with pricing details but it awaits the municipal commissioner’s approval.

 

 

 

MY  TAKE :

 

Over past 6 years, I have sent following 20 e-mails to BMC / State Govt., re “ Street Parking “ :

 

Ø  Blogs - E Mails re : Parking Problems / solutions 

 

It is worth noting that MPA has wisely decided to resort to CCTV technology –

although, how precisely it will work, is not revealed

 

To totally eliminate corruptible “ human intervention “ from the entire process,  I

suggest as follows :

 

#   Not only those 36 lakh cars, but all vehicles must be charged a “ street

     parking fee “ if found parked on any street of Mumbai at any time

     ( May be with concession for 10 pm to 6 am , when traffic is light )

 

#  All vehicles will be required ( by law ) to be pre-installed with FasTags linked

    with owner’s Bank Accounts (as being implemented for toll collection on

    highways )

    

FASTags to be replaced by automatic number plate readers: Nitin Gadkari

 

#  Hourly parking fees could be :

 

Ø  Rs  10 / hour for 2 wheelers

Ø  Rs  20 / hour for 3 wheelers

Ø  Rs  40 / hour for 4 wheeled taxies

Ø  Rs  50 / hour for 4 wheeled private passenger cars

Ø  Rs  100 / hour for private Buses

Ø  Rs  200 / hour for Commercial Freight Trucks …….etc

 

#  Thousands of road-side CCTV will continuously capture data ( elapsed time )

    about each and every vehicle parked on streets

     

 

#  These data will be relayed to servers of BMC – RTO – State Transport Dept –

    Traffic Police etc

 

#  BMC server-based software will deduct appropriate amount from each vehicle’s

    FasTag

 

#  In case there is no FasTag / Bank Account linkage or there is NIL bank balance,

    then , through vehicle-mounted SENSOR, software will “ immobilize “ the

    vehicle ( can get started upon payment of arrears )

    

 

If my suggestion gets implemented BMC’s annual “ Parking fees Revenue “ could

well work out as follows :

 

#  Simplifying Assumptions :

 

Ø  No of Vehicles parked on streets…………………… 30 lakh

 

Ø  Average parking fees / vehicle / hour ……………Rs 40

 

Ø  Average no of hours parked / day…………………..10

 

Ø  Ave collection / vehicle / day………………………….Rs 400

 

Ø  Total collection for 30 lakh vehicle / day……… Rs 400 x 30 lakh = Rs 12000 lakh 

                                                                                                       ( Rs 120 cr )

 

 

Ø  Total collection for year …………………………………Rs 120 Cr x 365 = Rs 43,800 Crore  

 

If MPA has any doubts about the feasibility of my suggestion, let them consult Shri Nitin Gadkariji

 

 

It is even possible that, upon receiving this e-mail, Shri Gadkariji might , on his

own, phone   Prachi Merchant   and offer all technology – administrative help to

implement my suggestion

 

You see, he would love BMC / MPA to “ succeed “ so that he can motivate

Municipalities all  over the country !

 

With regards,

Hemen Parekh

hcp@recruitGuru.com

25 Aug 2022