A recent study by a private consultant on parking woes in the city has found that 90 per cent of the people were ready to pay for parking provided they were given a better place to park their vehicles with a nominal charge.
However, 5-10 per cent of them wanted the corporation or the government authorities to provide free parking space with adequate security in congested areas, disclosed city corporation officials, now exploring solutions to the parking problem in the city.
The corporation has been ducking the issue for the past nine years and the multi-storey parking facilities proposed by it at Broadway bus terminus, Greams Road and T. Nagar hang in balance.
“The city corporation has failed to come up with a policy to regulate parking lots and traffic congestion and the issue was periodically raised during the previous council tenure, but nothing materialised,” lamented former opposition floor leader of the corporation Saidai P. Ravi.
The corporation has acquired several acres of OSR lands from private firms and commercial complexes.
These lands can be utilised to construct underground parking lots, leaving the basement for greenery, and this would ease congestion in the city. Even the present AIADMK-led council lacks clarity in addressing the issue.
However, a senior corporation official said steps were being taken to sort out the parking problem. As a preliminary step, an exclusive two-wheeler parking facility is coming up at Broadway and more parking projects would be taken up soon, the official added.