Rs 1 lakh extra for second car

Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011




If the findings of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) are to be believed, the city is fast heading towards chaos.

Road block: A multi-level parking facility is coming up at Connaught Place to address parking woes in the heart of the city. File pic

According to a recent presentation by the MCD before the Special Task Force formed to solve the transportation woes of Delhiites, 9-10 per cent of the geographical area in the Capital is needed just for parking vehicles. The basis of MCD's report are transport department figures of 2008 when the city had 54 lakh registered vehicles. In the past two years, the number has crossed 60 lakh.

MCD has proposed that the city be divided into different zones, congestion charges be introduced, the rule of one family one car be enforced and if a car owner buys a second car, the owner should be charged a fee of Rs 1 lakh per car and underground parking in places like parks, race course and stadiums be introduced.

The MCD report also blamed incidents of road rage, stress among Delhiities, late response in Emergencies on congestion. On an average three different car spaces are needed per car in the city, as a result, the current fleet occupies nearly 9-10 per cent of Delhi's geographic area. Delhi has only 11.5 per cent of forest area. The report says congestion and heavy traffic results in the loss of fuel worth Rs 1,000 million annually. "Daily registration of cars (as on 2005) generates demand for 2.5 million sqm -- roughly equivalent (to the size) of 310 international football fields," stated report.

Solution!
The report suggests large public spaces such as parks, race course, playgrounds, stadia and under-utilised public amenities and land at select localities can be utilised for off-street parking through use of basements. There should be a cap on the number of vehicles that can ply in the city. Vehicular registration should be discouraged through higher registration fees (taxes). This can be done by a mandatory rule of one car per household. An upper cap of one car per household should be stipulated and any additional car could be charged a one-time fee of about Rs 1,00,000 per car and higher municipal tax in terms of 10 per cent per year of the assessed tax, advocated the civic body. Some of the suggestions among these were made last year in a RITES report.

Different pricing
The report says, entire Delhi be divided into zones:

Zone A: Would include the central business areas and NDMC area, where short-term parking on hourly basis will be provided between 9 am and 9 pm with high charges that would increase with every hour of parking. These areas will be provided with Automatic Mechanical Parking (AMPs) and private parking lots. Beyond these timings, the parking fees could be charged at a lower rate for longer duration of time.

Zone B: The area outside NDMC but within the Ring Road. In these areas a combination of AMPs and Carbon Metered Parking (CMP which will check fuel emission and decide on parking rebate at the time of entry at the parking lot) can be provided at selected interchanges, especially at the bus terminus, DMRC stations and other identified locations close to public transport corridors. Parking in these areas will also be on short-term basis but at a slightly lower tariff as compared to Zone A.

Zone C: Would cover the area falling between Ring Road and Outer Ring Road. These areas are little distant from the epicentre of the city, hence the travel needs are different than in Zone A and B. In these areas a combination of AMP and CMP can be provided at selected interchanges, especially at the bus terminus, DMRC stations, BRT stops and other identified locations close to public transport corridors. These will be long term parking lots of 8 to 12 hour duration at a nominal tariff to encourage the vehicle owners to park at these facilities and avail the public transport system.

Zone D: Will include the areas outside the Outer Ring Road. Large CMP may be provided at the locations adjoining the public transport stations of Metro, Monorail / LRT, BRT, Bus Terminus, etc. These will be long term parking lots of 8 to 12 hour duration at a nominal tariff to encourage the vehicle owners to park at these facilities and take the public transport system.

The report also says while finalising the parking charges, congestion factor should be kept in mind. Parts of the city can be coded and categorised broadly in three categories -non-congested, congested, very congested. "For example, Chanakyapuri may have high parking charges but no congestion charges as the area may not be congested. Similarly, for example Connaught Place may have high parking charges and also high congestion charges," states the report.

Capital chaos
* The road space is shared by at least 30 different types of vehicles, each with different static and dynamic characteristics.
* Delhi has the highest number of vehicles among all major cities in India.
* A total of 1087 vehicles are registered every day, of which 1021 are personal vehicles. Nearly 3,65,000 vehicles are registered annually.
*  Public transport ridership has dropped from 60 per cent to 41 per cent in the past eight years.
* Private vehicles are left parked 95 per cent of the time while public modes of transport spend more time on road.
* Around 45 million sq.m. of land is needed for parking of already registered vehicles.
* The city needs a space equivalent to 310 international football fields to accommodate the number of cars which are registered in a single day.
* The working population of the National Capital Region (NCR) is estimated at 70 lakh.
* Traffic congestion causes an overall loss of Rs 840 crores per month.
* On an average 6 people die everyday in road accidents in Delhi.

What is STF?
The Delhi government has constituted a Special Task Force for the city following a Delhi High Court order. Delhi chief secretary Rakesh Mehta (left) is chairman of the STF. The STF has 14 members including the various agency heads, experts from transport and urban planning. It was constituted in March, 2010. Its primary work is to explore all issues related to road traffic in Delhi with a view to minimise congestion, reduce pollution and increase mobility. Any proposal which the government, the MCD or any other local authority or agencies wishes to implement is first put before the STF.

MCD: we are toothless
MCD in its report has admitted that it is a toothless tiger. As per the Motor Vehicle Act, the responsibility to penalise or cancel the permission for errant parking operators or enforce its guidelines rest with the Delhi Traffic Police and MCD at best can lodge an FIR against the parking operator. The Delhi Traffic police is itself so overburdened that it is not possible for them to keep check or control on parking lots, hence leading to mismanagement or over-exploitation of the parking created. Above all no scientific data or study or expertise is available with the MCD for creating new parking spaces and ensure the guidelines or directions are followed.

Punishment for parking
Proposed minimum parking fee in CP and other central business district areas which falls under Zone A could be Rs 20 for two-wheelers and Rs 50 for cars for the first two hours.  In zone B areas it could be Rs 15 for two-wheelers and Rs 30 for cars. In zone C it could be Rs 10 for two-wheelers and Rs 20 for cars. And in zone D it could be Rs 5 for two-wheelers and Rs 10 for cars. The price will increase marginally after two hours and after four hours of parking it will increase on hourly basis.

No street-fighting
In residential areas, MCD wants that car owners do not use the roads for long-stay parking. Building norms will be enforced to promote parking in residential areas. The report says parking in private off-street locations will be promoted through necessary amendments to the building bye laws. "Option of providing exemption from payment of property tax will be explored to promote private parking lots. By providing additional Floor Area Ratio (FAR) steps will be taken to create more parking spaces in residential areas. Parking of both owners as well as visitors on streets near flats will be prohibited and enforced," it added.

Beijing blues
The Beijing administration has doubled the public parking fees in 13 of Beijing's busiest areas from their current prices. The new pricing will start from April 2011. According to reports, the 13 areas include Wangfujing, the Lufthansa Centre and Beijing Railway Station. The current parking fee of 2.5 yuan for 30 minutes will be increased to 5 yuan for half an hour within the first hour, and 15 yuan per hour afterwards. The authorities said the purpose of the increase is to adjust traffic volumes through different pricing levels, reduce traffic congestion in busy areas and encourage citizens to use public transport. Those who work in areas where parking fees will be increased will have to add up to 75 yuan to their daily eight-hour parking fee.

London dreams
The London congestion charge is a fee for motorists travelling within the Congestion Charge Zone (CCZ), a traffic area in London. The charge aims to reduce congestion. The zone was introduced in central London on February 17, 2003. Though not the first in UK, it was the largest when introduced, and it remains one of the largest in the world. A payment of £10 is required each day for each vehicle which travels within the zone between 7am and 6pm; a fine of between £60 and £180 is levied for non-payment. From January 4, 2011 several changes were implemented based on public consultation, which included the removal of the Western Extension, a charge increase from GB £8 to GB £10, and the introduction of an automated payment system.

Original news source http://www.mid-day.com/news/2011/feb/090211-News-Delhi-parking-space-tax-Rs-1-lakh-extra-for-new-car.htm