Populism drives parking policy

Taraknath Mazumder, assistant professor of architecture and regional planning at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, spoke to Maureen Nandini Mitra. Excerpts:

On parking in Kolkata
Seventy to 80 per cent is on-street parking. The rest is off-street in apartment complexes, offices and shopping arcades. There are also two multilevel parking lots. In Kolkata, there's a uniform fee of Rs 7 per hour no matter where you park. Parking fees should be set according to demand, which differs from place to place. In congested areas like central business districts, fees should be higher. One size doesn't fit all.

On parking management and populism
It is totally populist in Indian cities. On-street parking sites are decided not on the basis of practicality but the demands of business lobbies.

Usually, shoppers prefer to park within 5 m of a shopping area, and also don't want to pay too much for parking. So, in congested shopping areas, parking fees are deliberately kept low even if demand for parking space is high. If they are increased, shopping centres will lose business to other areas where parking is available. The retail industry exerts a lot of influence on parking decisions.

On the hidden costs of parking
Disturbance of traffic flow is one. In Kolkata, only 1 per cent of the population can afford travel by car or taxi. And this 1 per cent is responsible for most of the traffic congestion that affects the remaining 99 per cent. But they don't have to bear the cost.

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