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While recently traveling in
Neuchatel in Switzerland, I noticed some rather nice innovations in most of the
covered multi-level public and mall parking.
Each parking area has an electronic board outside, clearly visible as
one drives to it, indicating the parking timings, time rates and number of
vacant places inside. Each parking slot
has a lamp about four meters above ground.
This remains red when occupied and turns green when vacant. When one is entering the particular
parking-level, one can see at a glance the whole parking plate or zone and
quickly determine vacant slots where one can park. This does away with the incessant cruising and need for security
on the particular floor to direct the visitors. The slots are clearly numbered so that one can find ones' vehicle
easily. The parking level floors are
fully paved, clean and have side zones for leaving shopping carts and garbage
bins. Well lit elevators take one to
different levels. Clear lit indicators tell one how to reach the exit or the
other levels. Payment machines at the entrance and exit allow one to automatically collect the parking ticket with
the date-time stamp and pay for the duration of parking by cash or card. Human intervention is reduced to almost
nil. This last may not be necessary in
India where labor is available economically.
It seems a simple infra-red
proximity sensor coupled to high intensity LED lamps does the trick. The totalling of the green lights will
indicate the vacant slots on the outside electronic board. The location of the red-green lamps and
visibility from the entrance must be carefully planned. Currently at most parking: open, covered and
multi-level, one is stressed out rushing to capture an open slot and then
trying to remember the location. One
will observe strange reversing and turning to get into a vacant slot, causing
traffic hold up. Witness the Mumbai
Airport Parking issues, unnecessary pain; so also most shopping Malls. With new multi-level public or private
parking buildings coming up across the MMR, such simple arrangements with
reasonable round the clock lighting (artificial or preferably natural with
light pipes) and alert security guards with CCTV cameras, will go a long way in
offering desired comfort to the citizens.
Let us remember that we now have TWO MILLION vehicles in MMR and rising
by the day with sub-normal parking and even zero parking arrangements. Since all these parking facilities are being
charged a substantial fee, the added cost of red-green lighting and outside
electronic boards, should not burden the service provider much.
I expect the Activists focused on
such issues will direct this idea to the right planning authorities and the
MCGM will incorporate the same in their SOPs and DC rules. Jai Hind!
