Orderly parking days ahead

KOCHI: As per the instructions given by the state government, the Kochi Corporation will soon prepare a bylaw for parking in the city. The Town Planning Committee has already started the preliminary works for the preparation of the bylaw. “The state government has  approved the Automobile Parking Policy for all the towns and cities as envisaged in the reforms under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The Urban Parking Policy will be formed on the basis of the demographic specialties of the city,” said Kochi Corporation Town Planning Committee chairman K J Sohan.According to the instructions given by the state government, the corporation will solely be responsible for planning the policy and implementing the proposals while coordinating with other stakeholders, including the PWD, the Kerala Roads and Bridges Development Corporation (RBDCK) and the National Highways Authority of India.   As per the order issued by the state, though various agencies are responsible for the construction and maintenance of different categories of urban roads, it is necessary to entrust the responsibility of vehicle parking policies with a single agency, the municipal corporation.“It is not always easy for the corporation to develop on-street and off-street parking facilities owing to various reasons. As per the guidelines given by the government, the civic body can resort to public-private partnership (PPP) models to develop and operate parking arrangements,” Sohan added. As instructed by the state government, the bylaw will focus on prohibiting parking on footpath and encroachments especially by street vendors. On-street parking facility shall be resorted to only when there are no  options. The bylaw will also make sure that if any roadside margin is used for parking vehicles then it should not obstruct pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Also, the conversion of parking areas for commercial  uses by building owners will be prevented. One of the major reasons for the parking crisis at busy shopping spots is that the basement floor meant for parking is put to other uses. Therefore, shopkeepers and customers are forced to park vehicles on the roadsides. “Stern action will be taken to prevent the use of parking areas for other purposes,” Sohan said.