the goan I network
PANAJI
Panaji is set to see some major changes in the way parking of vehicles is managed if the draft parking policy outlined by Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) becomes a reality.
Of the eight parking policies shown to citizens in the last of the three consultation meets held by IPSCDL on Friday, a lot of stress was given to managing the parking spaces that already exist within the city, instead of creating new parking spaces.
The smart city team ruled out multi-level parking according to the draft shown to citizens, but instead there would be a focus on parallel parking to economise on space, instead of the current angular parking witnessed in the city.
Further, citizens would have to pay for a parking slot if they need to use one, as based on a study done in London. The more citizens have to shell out for parking slots, the less cars would be seen parked in the city.
“Pricing would vary according to where in the city the parking slot is located and whether it is residential or commercial,” explained a smart city official, pointing out that while citizens had the right to buy a vehicle, it was not the government’s duty to provide free parking.
For the same, parking meters would be installed, to record the time a vehicle has been parked for.
IPSCDL also plans for parking permits for citizens who want to use the same slot regularly, so that they would not have to pay on a daily basis. Moreover, those with two cars would need to pay higher for their second parking permit.
IPSCDL’s plans also include “smart parking technology” where citizens would be able to find parking information via the internet on smart phones.
The draft policy also lays emphasis on pedestrians and pedestrian crossing, cyclists, reserved parking for differently-abled, and public transport over private transport.
While the eighty or so citizens at the meet welcomed a parking policy to decongest Panaji, many citizens, noticeably Joe D’Souza and Soter D’Souza pointed out that if the off-shore casinos were permanently shifted from the River Mandovi, a lot more parking spaces would open up, and that it was the casinos that compounded the parking woes of the city.
Citizens also brought to the notice of Smart City
officials that a lot of illegal shops had been opened up in place of garages that were shown in the plans of buildings, and if plans for these buildings could be found in the CCP, a lot of problems would be sorted.
