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July 03 to July 09 2017 : Weekly News Magazine
messenger BOOK REVIEW 23

Parking Challenges

Require Creative Solutions

Commuting and driving in, across and through Srinagar city has would be to suss out a pattern in parking use which can be
become a veritable nightmare. The reasons are obvious: followed by a combination of remote parking facilities
voluminous increase in the number of vehicles plying on roads, complemented by shuttle services to ferry commuters from
increase in population and pressures on space and available remote parking facilities to their destinations. Within the Central
land thereof. These general problems are compounded by the Business District(CBD) of Srinagar and in more congested
sense of entitlement driven ownership of spaces in front of shops areas of the city, metered and time bound parking, say for a
and assorted businesses by owners and/or keepers of these maximum time of 2 hours can be introduced with over use
stores and businesses. Parking one’s vehicle in front of these susceptible to computer generated and then monitored
shops almost amounts to a dare and invariably is won by the penalties- all tied to the traffic department and its policing
shopkeepers given the support accorded by other shop keepers systems. Last, but not the least, an effective, efficient and
in the vicinity. Overlaying this problem is bad car parking by car equitable transportation system would be a pressure valve on
owners, erratic driving and other related issues. All in all, people the city and thus provide relief to commuters and inhabitants of
suffer, on account of these problems and their own foibles, the city.Critics and cynics might point out that these are “too
driving and parking behaviour. Given the fact that vehicular western or foreign” ideas and solutions and will flounder on the
ownership will only get compounded by the day, attendant rocks of “reality” in Kashmir. But critics would be wrong.
problems will only grow. The issue and the set of problems then Essentially, the thrust of these ideas and solutions is to change
need urgent remedial action.The question is how?Ideally and in or alter behaviour towards salubrious ends; behaviour(s) can be
theory, a prudent, effective and efficient urban design and town changed by the “right” balance of incentives and punishments
planning of a city should factor in all these issues and devise a both to promote certain behaviours and deter others. Key is
template that deals with these. However, urbanization in designing and institutionalizing this mix of incentives and
Kashmir- especially in Srinagar- is a haphazard and chaotic, punishments in a way that changes behaviour. This has been
unplanned and rather random. These random themes have set done in different contexts amidst different permutations and
the tone for urbanization in Srinagar and nothing substantive can combinations with great success. The question, in the final
be done to reverse it. All that is available for authorities are extant analysis, is of will and sustaining a certain policy action. It is here
spaces and the opportunities these present plus public policy rather than the general idea and its specifics that Kashmir is
initiatives.The obvious issue, given the constraints, for the remiss. The issue then is eminently remediable if and when the
authorities is to manage parking demand. The first step would authorities get serious and demonstrate it in word and deed. The
be understood parking turnover rates in the city and the pattern time for this is now!
of peaks and troughs in parking demand. The corollary to this