[mints21]

Indian automobile industry is one of the fastest growing industry in the world. The number of cars that are being sold are increasing daily with the launch of new models as well as needs and aspirations. More and more people are now buying cars. There was a time when a single family of four members had just one car, today we have reached a situation where the cars are more than the number of family members in a house.

But, I think that an area that requires maximum attention is still being ignored. The area that I am talking about is the parking. While the new residential apartments that are coming up these days are compulsory selling one or two car parking slots with every apartment, but on the other hand the commercial towers are neglecting this area.

There are a number of reasons for this and a few that I can think of are;

1. The parking space provided in the basement is not adequate of accommodate cars considering the number of employees who own cars and are working in an organisation.

2. The parking space is so expensive that the owner who buys with an intent to rent an office does not want to spend that kind of money on buying so many parking slots.

3. In certain cases, where rental parking's are available, the rent is so much that an employee prefers to park it on the roads rather then paying huge rent.

I have seen that the parking that is allowed on the roads are eating up the driving space and slowing traffic.

This is largely contributing to the killing of driving enthusiasm. It is also leading to cars getting scratched at parking lots, stolen from parking lots and the newbie parking attendants learning driving using our cars.

I came across this thought while sitting in my office and looking down from the window of my working desk.

I am also presenting certain pictures which I have taken from my office window to give a clear picture of how this parking mess is eating our driving space as well as footpath's that are meant for pedestrians.

The pictures have been categorised as before and after, the ones that show clear roads were taken before office hours and the ones that show vehicles parked were taken during routine office hours.

One can see the impact that they make on our driving. Please suggest ways how can we tackle this problem as the number of cars would continue to grow but the space on road will always remain limited. Ever wondered, Why do the authorities choose to still look the other way around instead of addressing this ever increasing problem.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Street Experiences. Thanks for sharing!

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by mints21

Please suggest ways how can we tackle this problem

1. Carpooling. Reduces fuel consumption, pollution, toll fees and with a bunch of friends, it's fun. Also reduces stress to a great extent. I do carpooling with 2 guys.

2. Use the company's transportation system as much as possible.

The higher-ups in my company are mostly against this because it hurts their image! When the company offers them a chauffeur and a sedan at that designation, why would they opt for a lowly bus with no AC, inferior suspension and travel with other employees of lower cadre?
But my department head still travels by the bus. He's an extremely humble and a down-to-earth guy.

3. Use public transportation.

When I was doing my 11th and 12th grades back in Ernakulam, KL I used to travel by the private bus. These guys drove like maniacs (I'm sure they still do) but for 4 Rs. (reduced fares for students; High Court Jn. to Kadavanthra) back in the day, who's complaining? Sometimes, we get to meet some nice strangers as well.

Unfortunately, public transportation isn't well developed in all parts of India. But we have CNG rickshaws here that ply for cheap!

[Secretariat]

Two additions to the parking chaos created at commercial establishments

- Pitiful provision for visitor's parking. Visitors park on the roads
- Zero parking for the company transport vehicles - they all stand on the road

My suggestions for easing the chaos

• Central multistorey parking facility in an area. Since most office cars are chauffeur driven anyway, it is practical. The issue is cost, but that is part of the price we all have to pay . A car owner is amongst the top 1% of the population. Complaining on parking costs is not acceptable
• Metered parking on the roads. The example of Brigade road in Bangalore where this is implemented strongly is good - we can get parking space , the numbers of vehicles parked has declined and costs are not outrageous

Longer term solution is of course , much better public transport (whoever takes his car to Manhattan or central London), but that's an altogether different matter in Indian cities.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by mints21

The pictures have been categorised as before and after, the ones that show clear roads were taken before office hours and the ones that show vehicles parked were taken during routine office hours.

One can see the impact that they make on our driving. Please suggest ways how can we tackle this problem as the number of cars would continue to grow but the space on road will always remain limited. Ever wondered, Why do the authorities choose to still look the other way around instead of addressing this ever increasing problem.

What are the civic authorities doing here and why are they not providing some land or a place where parking can be done without obstructing traffic flow.

Here in Hyderabad, the cyber world has similar parking systems where nothing much can be done. Every employee comes in his own car making parking space a luxury and it is all first come first serve. May be car pooling can better out things. Why not design an under ground level parking like the ones in malls when the building is designed and when the designers know the number of cars that would be there.

Anurag.

[libranof1987]

There's just too many vehicles on the road.

This problem can be slightly mitigated by having cars parked parallel rather than perpendicular to the road; but then, civic authorities would want to pack in as many cars as possible.

Unless the no. of cars don't keep going up, we're going to have this problem.

The concept of alternating parking every other day on one side of the road could help too.

[anjan_c2007]

India used to manufacture some 35,000 cars in the late 1970's. Now we sell an average of about 27,000 Altos on an average every month, leave aside the other cars sold.

With our parking space getting crunched this is bound to happen. Even the upper middle class families have less children and more cars - much like the US decades ago !

Unless there are multi-level parking lots built in market areas of major cities and unless cars are parked within the residential compounds (This is impossible) there is hardly any way out.

Adding to our woes is the total lack of parking sense. We see even the so called "gentlemen" taking all liberties and indulging in hap hazard parking many a time, putting others into inconvenience.

[ghodlur]

Agree to what Gannu_1 said about ways to tackle the issues. But they fail for the following reasons and again the burden is on the municipal authorities to provide the solution.

1) Car pooling: Even I do car pooling with 2 guys where the expenses are shared. But it become cumbersome when one of them has a last min late sitting or if I opt for a personal leave. Also getting car poolers from the same places or residences is also very rare.
2) Company transportation: This looks like the best alternative provided the employer ensures that it stays. I have seen many a co buses choke the traffic because of moving out simultaneously, taking unwarranted turns to get faster therby adding to the existing chaos. many employers prefer to leave it to the employees to make their own arrangement with a pay hike rather than invest and sustain the co transportation.
3) Public transportation: The lesser said the better. With the tax payers money being drowned in the drains with ever increasing losses, people wouldnt want to waste their time on the late running, over packed, rashly driven, frequent failing public buses.

The only solution is to 1) Stop further adding vehicles on the road. 2) Improve the public transport to a state where option 1 is not needed at all. 3) Avoid double parallel parking and wherever found tow the vehicles( preferably done by the 3rd party not falling for the bribes)

[sinharishi]

The problem is : Increase in the number of cars.

I have been living in Delhi from last 2 years. Finding a place to park your car is a everyday struggle.People park wherever they feel like without any dignity of responsibility.With growing number of E-Rickshaws, Cycle Rickshaws and Gramin Sevas things are just getting worse.

The construction of Metro has further added to the chaos.

I don't know about other cities but here in Delhi there are just too many cars.From 39.40 lakh vehicles in 2002-03, the number has risen to 74.38 lakh in 2011-12, an 88% increase. I have attached some statistics which are old but still give a idea on the number of increase in the car population.

I wonder what would be the total number of cars if one adds these figures with number of cars in NCR.

This is how close people park their vehicles here :


Some Statistics







Sources:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-...1-1107737.aspx

http://delhi.gov.in/DoIT/DES/Publica...act/SA2012.pdf

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by mints21

But, I think that an area that requires maximum attention is still being ignored. The area that I am talking about is the parking.
This is largely contributing to the killing of driving enthusiasm. It is also leading to cars getting scratched at parking lots, stolen from parking lots and the newbie parking attendants learning driving using our cars.

I came across this thought while sitting in my office and looking down from the window of my working desk.

One can see the impact that they make on our driving. Please suggest ways how can we tackle this problem as the number of cars would continue to grow but the space on road will always remain limited. Ever wondered, Why do the authorities choose to still look the other way around instead of addressing this ever increasing problem.

Interesting topic. I don't have a solution to the problem, but I have some insights as to how many other countries are tackling this problem.

In essence, many (Western) countries have a very active "discourage car usage policies and law". In many European laws the respective building regulation stipulate how much parking space per office m2 you are allowed. And it is a ridiculously low number.

In most congested cities around the world, you will find that the authorities take active measure to reduce the number of cars coming into the city. I visited Singapore for the very first time in 1979 and already then cars with an even registration number were allowed into Singapore and cars with odd registration numbers were allowed in on the other days.

Cities such as London, Stockholm have introduced "congestion charges". i.e. very high charges/fees for anybody going into the city centre. In Amsterdam parking in the city centre cost around Euro 6 -7 per hour (500-600 INR/hour). trust me, you park to go and get lunch, you will have spend more on parking fees then on lunch.

Only in places where there are no traffic jams and space is available by the bucket load will you find a different approach. I lived in Kansas City for three years and my office was in one of the main suburbs Overland Park. I worked on a campus that accommodate just over 30.000 individuals, and every single one of us could park our car easily! Space was not an issue

So in general congested cities the world around will promote to leave the car at home and travel to the office by means of public transportation. Bus, train, metro etc. And most of them have been expanding those network extensively over the last decades.

There is a very noticeable shift these days in car ownership in the western world. Young people don't care about cars, as long as they have good public transport obviously. None of my three children have a car and the eldest is nearly thirty and has an excellent job. It just doesn't have his interest. Few of his friends and colleagues do either. They will hire one when needed, but they are simply not interested in owning one. Very different from the situation here in India where many aspire to own their first real car. Call it decadent or progress, but societies do go through different phases. And probably, car ownership, or the ability to have your own car, is extremely relevant for millions of Indian. Probably partly because of inadequate, perceived or real, lack of public transport and partly because it is just something you want to have. I can certainly remember the first cars I bought and how proud I was. Drove it all over the Netherlands to show everybody. We are talking late 70's so long before Facebook. So you actually had to go to see family and friends to tell them, rather then to take a picture and put it up for 500+ friends to see it on your FB page.

For some, the obvious solution is to built more roads and more parking facilities. Studies and decades of experience in many different countries has shown that by increasing the roads and parking you will ultimately only increase the problem. So the sooner you start providing good, reliable, affordable, reliable public transportation the better it is. Easier said then done, as always. in practice you will probably need to do both.

I have no idea what the formal policies on this topic are in India. But at the rate this country is growing, it is difficult to imagine how we are ever going to cope with all these cars. Personally, I don't think building road and parking places is the answer. They will just fill up as quickly as you can build them!

There is of course, another reasons why so many cities around the world try and keep as many cars out of the city centre, through various means. It's pollution. Environmental concern is a very big very relevant topic in many countries. Germany has introduced laws that will only allow relatively new cars into city centers. So, I can't take my classic W123 Mercedes into most German cities anymore. Similar legislation is in the making in several cities in the Netherlands.

Jeroen

[SmartCat]

On that road, why is everybody parking perpendicular to the road? Get everybody to do horizontal parking to get approximately 25% more "driving space" on the road.

It's safer too. Right now, the way the cars are parked, there is a risk of vehicles slamming into a car pulling out (reversing) of its parking space

[roshan_cruise]

Originally Posted by smartcat

On that road, why is everybody parking perpendicular to the road? Get everybody to do horizontal parking to get approximately 25% more "driving space" on the road.

Wouldn't horizontal parking reduce the parking spaces available, leading to double parking, leading to bigger chaos on the roads. Won't it be better to go vertical regarding parking spaces, as in develop buildings exclusively for parking.

Like if a builder is developing 4 buildings with approximately 70 flats each, he should also build a building allowing for parking spaces for these residents and more. Since now most builders sell the parking spaces instead of giving it free, he'll be able to recover the cost of the "building for parking".

Since in India, we have a concept of creating "complex's" i.e. a cluster of building under one main name. The complex's association could also rent out extra parking spaces, thereby generating revenue.

[ad3952n]

Originally Posted by mints21

This is largely contributing to the killing of driving enthusiasm. It is also leading to cars getting scratched at parking lots, stolen from parking lots and the newbie parking attendants learning driving using our cars.

Dear Sir, To begin with, you actually have taken up a very interesting topic and have illustrated the issue very informatively. Sir, in my opinion the model solutions to solve our parking problems have miserably failed to work, all because of lack of will and planning on the part of the authorities.

What I wonder is that even though the problem grows bigger by the day, leading to choking of streets and frequent brawls, the agencies are yet to measure up to the task.

I guess till the time surface parking lots are located close to multi-level parking lots, nobody will use the latter. So, strict enforcement is required and the authorities must advocate the use of multi-level lots.

Thanks

AD

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

In most congested cities around the world, you will find that the authorities take active measure to reduce the number of cars coming into the city. I visited Singapore for the very first time in 1979 and already then cars with an even registration number were allowed into Singapore and cars with odd registration numbers were allowed in on the other days.

Cities such as London, Stockholm have introduced "congestion charges". i.e. very high charges/fees for anybody going into the city centre. In Amsterdam parking in the city centre cost around Euro 6 -7 per hour (500-600 INR/hour). trust me, you park to go and get lunch, you will have spend more on parking fees then on lunch.

Let me add a bit about New York City. Sandwiched between the east coast and Hudson river, you have to take a bridge to get into the city from the west (New Jersey, for example where majority of the population working in NYC lives) Interesting thing is that you pay toll on those bridges only when entering the city. There is no toll for people getting out of the city!

Originally Posted by smartcat

Get everybody to do horizontal parking to get approximately 25% more "driving space" on the road.

It's safer too. Right now, the way the cars are parked, there is a risk of vehicles slamming into a car pulling out (reversing) of its parking space

Originally Posted by roshan_cruise

Wouldn't horizontal parking reduce the parking spaces available, leading to double parking, leading to bigger chaos on the roads.

Smartcat's point about safety is valid and so is Roshan's point about reduced parking space, specially when people want to park as close to the gates as possible to avoid walking. A little exercise won't really kill them!! How about diagonal parking? Middle of the path solution!! Easy to get into, relatively safer to get out and doesn't use as much space as parallel parking!

[Irish]

Originally Posted by mints21

I came across this thought while sitting in my office and looking down from the window of my working desk.

I am also presenting certain pictures which I have taken from my office window to give a clear picture of how this parking mess is eating our driving space as well as footpath's that are meant for pedestrians.

Hi Mints,

This is an interesting topic because the car parking has really become a nightmare around DLF tower A as well as your office (DLF tower B). This is an alarming situation because around 40% of office space is still not occupied in DLF Tower B. Around 6-8 months back, you could get a parking space in the middle row till 11:30 AM but now a days all parking is full by 10:30 AM.

It seems your office is on the "corner of 3rd floor of Tower B". And you park your car at the location shown in last picture of your post?

Cheeer!
Irish