As part of the Smart parking management system initiative, parking blocks have been identified in 378 locations with space for 5,389 cars and 1,478 motorcycles. Targeted at curbing the parking woes of the city, Chennai Corporation has taken up this initiative.This proposal also plans to raise the parking charges from Rs.5 to Rs.40 per hour at roads with high demands for parking and Rs.20 per hour at other places.
Currently, the city has 191 parking lots for cars, offering services at a fee of Rs. 5 per hour.Parking for motorcycles and autorickshaws is offered free of cost. The new parking system will continue to offer the services free of cost to motorcycles and autorickshaws, The Hindu reported an official as saying.
The high demand parking zones like Anna Nagar, Teynampet and Adyar might have the premium pricing of Rs. 40 per hour and the estimated revenue from this parking model is Rs. 37.6 crore per year. Other areas with heavy parking demand include George Town, T. Nagar, Marina Beach, Anna Salai, Purasawalkam, Nungambakkam, Mylapore, Guindy, Washermenpet, Royapuram and Tondiarpet. The cost of this program is estimated at Rs 4.2 crore and the operational expenses are expected at Rs 1.8 crore.
There will also be LED signage for information on availability of parking spaces. CCTV will be installed in the parking lots with live monitoring of these spots from a control centre.