Delhi’s traffic plan: Parking meters, more BRT routes

Thursday, Nov 05, 2010



The Delhi government is planning a slew of pilot projects as part of a major consolidated scheme to restrict the rapid growth in the number of vehicles in the city.

Among these are a project in Anand Vihar to test whether it is feasible to discourage families from having multiple vehicles and a proposal to create 20 more Bus Rapid Transit corridors. A third scheme proposes to install parking meters in the busy Lajpat Nagar market for a time-based parking fee, while another proposes levying a congestion fee on trucks that pass through Delhi.

All these pilot projects were part of proposals put up for the state Cabinet's approval on Thursday, but couldn't be discussed. They are likely to come up again when the Cabinet meets next week. The proposals have been made by a 12-member task force, appointed on the High Court's order, which is planning the backbone for all of the city's future transport policies. Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta heads the committee.

"The proposals were approved in principle by the task force over the last few months and the Cabinet must clear them before they can be implemented," an official said on the condition of anonymity.

The pilot project in Anand Vihar involves mapping the entire residential area on Delhi's geospatial map to estimate how much parking space the area has, the official said. Officials then plan to interact extensively with resident welfare associations to arrive at a consensus over how to tackle the fast growing vehicle numbers, given the space constraints. "We can then look at possibilities like charging extra registration fee on vehicles over and above what the area can reasonably accommodate," the official said.

"When a vehicle owner pays for parking at office areas and markets, it is not unreasonable to expect him to pay for parking outside his house. This could discourage families from owning multiple cars," the official said.

Another project is proposed in the busy Lajpat Nagar market where an automobile association and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi plan to install parking meters for a time-based parking fee, an official said.

"This is the first step towards making parking slightly expensive so that people are encouraged to use public transport. The proposal is in a nascent state and we will have to check it on the ground," the official said.

The task force has also proposed for Cabinet approval a report by public infrastructure consultants RITES that it accepted a few months back. The report proposes creating 20 more Bus Rapid Transit corridors, covering over 300 km, in an effort to encourage public transport by providing faster travel to buses.

"We have also proposed to start levying a congestion fee from next year on trucks that will pass through Delhi on the East-West Corridor," an official said.

Original news source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/delhis-traffic-plan-parking-meters-more-brt-routes/707291/0