Lahore: CDGL shelves plans for parking lots at MM Alam, The Mall

[LahoreEstate]

* Visitors complain metered lots are insecure, too expensive
* District officer says government working to address flaws
* Contractors accountable for any stolen vehicles

By Afnan Khan

LAHORE: The City District Government Lahore (CDGL) has shelved its plans to construct metered parking lots at Main Market, Gulberg and MM Alam Road, even as its current metered parking sites are being criticised by visitors for being insecure.

CDGL officials told Daily Times the government had decided to cancel its plans to construct metered parking lots at MM Alam Road and Main Market, Gulberg due to lack of sufficient space. They said officials had conducted surveys in both areas and found them unsuitable for the purpose.

Meanwhile, visitors to The Mall told Daily Times they found the system to be very insecure and did not feel comfortable parking their cars in metered parking lots. They said the six computerised parking machines installed at The Mall are issuing tickets to visitors without mentioning the vehicle registration numbers. They said that in light of this, anyone with a ticket could easily take someone else’s vehicle from the parking lot.

Complaints: Another criticism that has been cited is the exorbitant cost of parking on a metered lot. One of the visitors, Kashif Mehmood, told Daily Times the visitors were being looted through the new system. He urged the government to either shut down the new parking system or make it as foolproof and secure as the traditional system. “We will have to pay the meters on an hourly basis, while in the traditional system, one could keep his car parked for a whole day after paying only Rs 10 per vehicle. In the old system, the contractors also mentioned the vehicle registration number on the ticket to ensure that every vehicle was tagged individually. Who will stop the thieves if they trick the guards and steal their desired vehicles when there is no number mentioned on the parking ticket,” he added.

Being addressed: When contacted, District Officer (Public Facilities) Afraz Ahmad said the government had launched the metered parking systems in various areas of the city on a pilot basis. He said the CDGL was working to remove flaws encountered at the current sites to make the system user-friendly. He said the criticism regarding no vehicle registration number being mentioned on the tickets had been noted by officials and would be addressed very soon.

Held accountable: Referring to the shelving of plans to install metered parking lots at MM Alam Road and Main Market, Gulberg, he said the government had conducted thorough surveys to install parking lots in various areas of the city and had abandoned plans for sites that did not sufficient space for the parking meters. He said the government was endeavouring to find alternate means to help visitors to busy areas such as Main Market, Gulberg. He said the vehicles parked in the government’s metered parking lots were safe, adding the contractors would be held accountable for the loss of any vehicle.

The CDGL had earlier announced that it would install parking lots on three different points, including Liberty, MM Alam Road and Main Market, Gulberg. The project was budgeted to cost Rs 36 million. The system was aimed to help resolve traffic and parking problems in the city’s busy, commercial areas.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg13_3