It will require over 8,000 acres to park all vehicles at one place. Such has been the rise in the number of private vehicles in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Area!
In 2001, 103, out of every 1,000 people in the HMA, had a vehicle, and the average shot up to 279 by 2011. The way private vehicle ownership is growing, by 2021, it is estimated that half the population here will have wheels of their own.
The Comprehensive Transportation Study (CTS), taken up on behalf of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), in its Draft Parking Policy documents the rise in number of vehicles and points out the lack of parking spaces in the city.
“The number of vehicles is growing at an alarming pace,” the study says, adding that the provision of parking to meet the demand for both short and long stay is “practically impossible”. Quantifying the problem in the city, the working paper prepared for the draft policy estimated that “nearly 8,000 acres of land will be required to park all kind of vehicles at grade, at one place in the HMA”.
According to the report, of the 29.70 lakh motor vehicles on the city roads as in 2011, almost 88 p.c. i.e., 21 lakh were two-wheelers, while car count touched 5.10 lakh (17.3 p.c.). The annual growth rate of two-wheelers and cars has been calculated at 10.1 p.c. and 12 p.c., respectively. A result of this alarming rise in the number of vehicles has been that parking problems have been multiplying in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area. Apart from the increase in income levels and change in lifestyle, the steep increase has also been attributed to inadequate public transport.
With the changing economic scenario of the HMA, vehicle ownership has been growing rapidly, and the demand for parking increased fast, the CTS says, adding that uncontrolled and ill-managed parking has been the result thanks to limited available parking spaces.
The study by Lea Associates points out that vehicles require street space not only to move about but also to park. It says that out of 8,760 hours a year, estimates suggest that cars run on an average for only 400 hours leaving 8,360 hours when they remain parked.
Also, since every car owner wishes to keep the vehicle as close as possible to the destination and thereby minimise walk, the demand for parking space in areas where activities are concentrated, goes up.
