[sustran] !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mumbai Corporation Hikes parking Charges !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sujit Patwardhan]

*Mumbai Corporation Hikes Parking Charges *

Mumbai Municipal Corporation has decided to hike parking charges across the
board as the city is beginning to strangulate itself in the number of cars
being brought on the roads and choking itself on auto emissions.

This is a welcome step though hiking parking charge by itself will not
solve the traffic problem and needs the other important components of an
excellent Public Transport and Safe, Comfortable and Pleasant NMT
facilities. But it is important because it accepts perhaps for the first
time that personal auto vehicles are part of the problem and NOT the
solution to our traffic problems.

If all our efforts are concentrated on trying to ease congestion for
personal vehicles (which broadly has been the policy of the city all these
years) we will never take serious steps to improve public transport (PT)
and NMT. Now hopefully, the pressure for improving these (PT and NMT) will
get stronger support from a wider spectrum of citizens particularly the
ones whose opinion matters !!

For the past few decades the voices of the majority forced to use PT & NMT
were totally ignored.



*Is there a lesson for Pune ?*

Instead of trying to accommodate the growing number of personal auto
vehicles by increasing parking spaces in our municipal bye laws (a hopeless
task as the projected requirement for 2.5 lakh auto vehicles added to the
city each year is over 360 acres EACH YEAR !!!!!!!!), isn't it high time to
send the message that Public Transport, and NMT (and not personal auto
vehicles) will get our top priority ??

--
Sujit





On Sat, Jan 3, 2015 at 5:14 PM, AV Shenoy <shenoyav at gmail.com> wrote:

> Now, pay Rs 1,800 every month to night-park car on road outside your
> building in Mumbai
>
> Sujit Mahamulkar
> <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toireporter/author-Sujit-Mahamulkar.cms>,TNN
> | Jan 3, 2015, 12.58 AM IST
>
>
>
> MUMBAI: The ruling Shiv Sena-BJP combine in BMC on Thursday passed the
> policy on public parking and parking on roads by residents at night. It was
> a U-turn after the same had been kept pending for over a year.
>
> Rates at the BMC parking lots, classified into three categories now, will
> go up by up to 300% for cars and 650% for two-wheelers.
>
> Moreover, the civic body introduced hefty charges (Rs 30 per night,
> amounting to Rs 1,800 a month) for night parking on roads by housing
> society residents (rates on P 6).
>
> The new policy with revised rates will be implemented only after a
> three-month pilot project for both kinds of parking in a ward, most likely
> in south Mumbai, proves to be successful.
>
> Tabling the proposal before the BMC general body, former mayor Sunil
> Prabhu of the Sena, who's now also an MLA, sought an amendment, saying the
> policy should be implemented across the city and suburbs only if it proves
> to be a success during the trial. It was accepted.
>
> "We will get an idea of the reaction of people. If people object to the
> policy, we can make changes before applying it to the whole city," said
> Prabhu.
>
> [image: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/photo/45738586.cms]
>
> The policy mooted by the civic administration, apparently not to increase
> revenue but to encourage use of public transport, was opposed not only by
> the opposition parties but also the ruling combine in 2013. It went past
> the improvements panel and into cold storage as the assembly polls were
> looming. Now, with the civic elections a couple of years away, the civic
> fathers must have thought it the best time to shove the bitter pill down
> the citizens' throats.
>
> On Friday, mayor Snehal Ambekar did not allow any discussion on the
> policy, which many believe is half-baked, particularly charging for night
> parking outside housing societies, but passed it with Prabhu's amendment by
> a show of hands.
>
> The city has been divided into Category A, B and C depending largely on
> footfalls and differentiated parking rates introduced with the maximum for
> the most crowded places. For instance, it will cost you Rs 60 per hour to
> park a car at Kala Ghoda (Category A) but only Rs 20 near the Shoppers Stop
> on Ghatkopar-Mahul road (Category C). Interestingly, parking has been made
> free at Girgaum and Juhu chowpatty and Gateway to boost tourism and parking
> rates will fall on Sunday and public holidays (see box).
>
> In the residential parking scheme, locals can park their cars on roads
> from 8pm to 8am after a monthly payment of Rs 1,800 to the BMC. Only one
> slot will be available per car owner and housing societies will have to get
> in touch with the local ward office to put the scheme into practice.
>
>
>
>
>


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*Parisar*​
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Sujit Patwardhan
patwardhan.sujit at gmail.com
sujit at parisar.org <sujitjp at gmail.com>
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Yamuna, ICS Colony, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune 411 007, India
Tel: +91 20 25537955
Cell: +91 98220 26627
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