Applications

BMC to meet A ward residents, who oppose the policy for its high rates

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) new pay-and-park policy is already proving unpopular among resident of Ward A in south Mumbai, where it is being implemented first.

Ward A comprises areas such as Churchgate, Fort, Colaba and parts of Cuffe Parade, but te BMC has so far received applications for just 60 cars, all from Cuffe Parade.

Under the residential scheme, if you live in a housing society with insufficient parking space, you can get a parking spot nearby.

You must submit an application form with residential proof to the ward office to get a parking spot for 12 hours (8pm to 8am) on a yearly permit. Parking charges will have to be paid in advance.

“Residents have been opposing the policy, which is reflected in the number of applications. A meeting with residents has been organised. The next course of action will be decided after that,” said a senior civic official.

‘A’ ward has several commercial complexes, government buildings and plenty of cars.

The area also falls under ‘A’ category, whichhas the highest

parking rates. For residential permits, you will have to pay Rs600 to Rs1,800 a month depending on the location.

Security guards will at shousing societies will be responsible for guarding the parking spots at night, which will be marked with yellow paint.

After receiving the applications, ward officers have started

surveying the area, demarcating slots and issuing permits to citizens after obtaining no-objection certificates from the traffic police.

The BMC has said the scheme is optional.

“We have started implementing the policy. It is optional to avail of residential permits. But if a vehicle is illegally parked on

the road, it will be towed away. I will review the policy next month,” said Ajoy Mehta, BMC commissioner.

The pay-and-park policy, which had been stalled since 2015 because of opposition from citizens, was approved by the state government before the civic elections this year.

To curb haphazard parking

on roads, no vehicles will be allowed to park within 500 metres of a parking lot.

“We want regulated parking on our streets but the rates have to be reasonable. We don’t want to complain but are also looking for an amicable solution,” said Subhash Motwani, president of Clean Heritage Colaba Residents’ Association.

A Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Mumbai has written to two-wheeler dealers asking them to start training their customers before selling them vehicles.

The step has been taken to curb the growing number of road accidents involving twowheelers .

Speaking at the Global Road Safety workshop for journalists organised by Bloomberg Philanthropy Initiative, Sanjay Sasane, deputy RTO of Wadala, revealed the plan.

He said transport authorities have also taken steps like providing road safety training to school teachers and conducting driving tests on scientific test tracks.

“We have written to twowheeler manufactures and dealers, asking them to get in touch with driving schools and train people before handing them their vehicles,” said Sasane.

While many Mumbaiites use mass transport like suburban trains and BEST buses, over te past decade, more citizens are buying two-wheelers to commute. Hence, Mumbai has seen exponential growth in purchase

of two-wheelers, which comprise about 17 lakh of city’s 27 lakh vehicles .

According to an RTO source, Mumbaiites prefer two-wheelers for commutes as those are easy to maneuver on congested roads. However, but they are also more risky and prone to accidents.

The traffic police data sug gests that of the total accidents in 2015, a large proportion (28.8%) involved two-wheelers

During the workshop, Nalin Sinha, India Coordinator for Global Health Advocacy Incu bator, said that of the 1.48 lakh road accidents deaths in India 43,548 involved two-wheelers.