Show proof of parking before buying car, suggests traffic department

The traffic police says it is faced with the problem of seeing many of these vehicles parked on public roads. “Some families have three and four cars between them, their building compounds being full, these vehicles spill out onto public roads,” says Yadav.

The proposal forwarded to the home secretary and environment secretary in Mantralaya some three months ago, suggested that prospective car owners be asked to provide a sketch of where they expect to park their cars. “A person should not be allowed to buy a car until he can show proof of his parking space, whether hired or owned. We do not want them parking cars on public roads,” Yadav said.

“Mumbai has the highest vehicle to road ratio in the country, some 470 vehicles per kilometre, and one of the slowest vehicle speeds of less than 20 kmph,” says Yadav. New schemes which offer cars at throwaway instalment rates are also responsible for this, he added.

But like every other suggestion, including one to impose spot penalties on polluting vehicles, this one too entails modification of the Central Motor Vehicle Act.

However, transport experts who spoke to Express Newsline were sceptical about this new proposal. “This scheme has certain practical difficulties, for instance where do people in congested areas like Girgaum find space to park their cars?” asks transport expert VN Abhyankar. He suggested enforcing pay and park all over the city, where owners would be required to pay a daily fee of Rs 10 to the corporation.

However, the Western India Automobile Association (WIAA) has threatened to challenge any such move by the traffic department. “Why should I provide for car parking? That’s the government’s job,” said WIAA President Nitin Dossa. According to Dossa, the government was holding up several proposals for creating parking space. A project for a car park for 4000 cars at Nariman Point had been suggested some two decades ago, but work on the project was yet to begin.

At the same time,the government was not doing anything for public transport to encourage car owners to switch over. “Today the car in Mumbai is a necessity not a luxury, I’m using it because I can’t hang out of crowded trains and buses,” he said.