“It has also been observed worldwide that parking demand quickly outstrips supply in the absence of effective management strategies, including pricing and enforcement. New parking areas quickly fill with vehicles, and the provision of free or cheap parking encourages greater use of personal motor vehicles, leading to congestion on the streets. If the parking system is to be sustainable, then management must focus on efficient use of existing parking areas,”

Haphazard on-street parking (surface parking) eats into the rapidly diminishing street spaces and footpaths, while obstructing traffic flow and pedestrian movement. All this is about to change as street parking will no longer be free – as these spaces will be charged and regulated, following Greater Chennai Corporation’s public-private partnership with a consortium of service providers for its parking management system, currently under trial. Sources in the Corporation said that in the 471 bus route roads (BRR) and important locations in non-BRR localities, an estimated 12,041 Equivalent Car Space (ECS) has been identified, under the Chennai Smart City initiative.