Ahead of metropolis expansion, CUMTA moots parking policy

CHENNAI: Even as the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) is all set to be expanded to cover more than 5,900 sqkm, providing sufficient parking space for the ever-expanding vehicle population still continues to be a challenge for the urban developers. In order to streamline parking management and to make the roads commutable, the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) has proposed to prepare a parking policy for the entire expanded CMA.

According to an official attached to the housing and urban development department, a parking policy for 5,904 sqkm will be prepared under the Chennai City Partnership programme, funded by the World Bank. “During a recent meeting with representatives of the funding agency, CUMTA proposed to prepare a parking policy among other transport-oriented studies,” the official said.

According to officials, the policy will be prepared after studying the pattern of parking across the metropolitan area by the transport authority. The policy will lay down the regulations and rules for implementation of parking related projects, including the monetisation methods, partnerships and other aspects including on-street and off-street parking management systems. The CUMTA will also prepare a Chennai Road Safety Plan to make city roads safer

It may be recalled that the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) proposed to prepare a similar parking policy for the corporation limits covering 426 sqkm. The state municipal administration and water supply department held a meeting in October 2021, but it was stalled. An announcement was also made by the previous AIADMK government to implement an integrated parking management system at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore in the corporation limits. Soon after the announcement, the civic body commenced identifying vacant government lands including the land parcels owned by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department. Despite the announcement, the project never began.

As per the expansion plan, the CMA will cover 5,904 sqkm from the present 1,189 sqkm with 4 city corporations (including the GCC), 12 municipalities, 13 town panchayats, one special grade town panchayat, and 22 panchayat unions.