India’s Parking Woes Should End Sooner Than Later

First ever automobile rolled out when the ancient man invented the wheel. That was perhaps the first indicator of his need to be mobile and dynamic. Ever since, the earth has never been short of ways and means of moving from one place to another.

Movement is mandatory for the modern man. He moves around effortlessly in the mean machines he has created for his own self. But what gets him hurting all over is the issue of parking.

The whole experience of finding a parking place in busy bylanes of cities that drive economy isn’t an easy task. It’s daunting and frazzling for everyone. It gets the nerves to snap at a microsecond.

What a pity! The man who could create cars, scooters and all kinds of automobiles left the problem of parking unaddressed. For, the man who was busy creating designs for the sleekest car didn’t see the possibility of the vehicle not being able to park – thanks to the space crunch.
It takes no genius to even guess the cities that battle parking problems. The metropolitan and cosmopolitan urban pockets that drive the economy and push elite lifestyle are the ones that find no place to park both their cars and egos. Because, both come in massive sizes!
The foremost solution for parking problem came in the form of pay-n-park spaces which discouraged the early car owners to bring out their vehicles and park at a cost. It was a free India, till then after all! Later, it was about business driven areas usually ghettoed beyond comprehension. So, cars weren’t going to be allowed in that lane.

While malls and hi-tech office spaces have opted for multi level parking, India largely leaves its cars by the roads, taking over the small bit of footpath reserved for pedestrians. With the arrival of malls, multi-level parking turned into a reality and India soon understood this was to be replicated at all stages.

Multi level parking, and turn tables seem to be the most feasible solutions for cities that are grappling with absence of parking spaces. Car pooling leaves lesser cars on the road, but the challenge of finding a parking space in the ever expanding city remains a misery.
While governments often mull over putting a cap on the number of vehicles owned by a family to reduce congestion on roads, parking is also about optimum use of space and time. Some countries have experimented with earmarking parking spaces with a floating balloon so that the driver does not spend precious fuel looking for a space.

This also saves a considerable amount on country’s exchequer. This apart, connecting public transport is deemed to be the most important solution of it all, keeping in mind the optimum use of fuel and less pressure on civic authorities to keep traffic under check and roads free from parked cars.

If flat space parking such as open grounds be allowed, the country should probably consider fixing the price brackets according to how ‘premium’ the space is. As in, treat it like real estate and eliminate subsidised parking to discourage people from simply driving out to show around their car and leave it parked, occupying some good amount of space by the roadside.

Technology can probably find better solutions for parking space with GPS identifying availability of parking space anywhere on the road. But, the modern man will never listen to the words whispered by the ecology and environment – that water’s rising above the head. Park soon, else this place would turn into grave!