Changing City: Two 15-storey automatic car parking towers coming up in Mumbai

To ensure that motorists do not park their vehicles on roadsides and to decongest public spaces, the BMC will be setting up two new car parking facilities, one in Central Mumbai and the other in South Mumbai. The Matunga facility in Central Mumbai will be equipped to facilitate 475 vehicles, while the Mumbadevi facility in South Mumbai will have the capacity to accommodate 546 vehicles.

How will these parking zones operate?

These facilities will be of a 15-storeyed parking tower each and will have a mechanised robotic system that will operate through a digital control room. There will be platforms on all floors that will house the cars. The platforms will be able to move up and down automatically. An owner of a car will have to leave their cars on a platform on the ground floor soon after which the platform along with the car will be lifted automatically and will stay secured in a particular floor. The owners will be given a ticket with a slot number, which they will have to show at the control room to get back the vehicle.

Location and specification of the proposed plan:

These parking spaces will come up at Matunga in Central Mumbai and Mumbadevi in South Mumbai. The BMC has already finalised the location for these spots. Sources said that crowded clusters in Mumbai that don’t have any designated parking spaces have been selected.

Significance of the project:

These spaces will not use the existing road space and will be created inside building-like structures. These facilities will be constructed by reserved BMC plots lying vacant. The main advantage is that parking spaces on roads will not be required after the facilities become operational. This will not only decongest road space but will also ensure a smooth flow of traffic.

Cost and timeline:

The cost for the two parking lots will be approximately Rs 300 crore. The BMC will need two years to complete the projects.

Current status:

The work orders for the two parking lots have been issued. The BMC plans to create three similar facilities in Worli, Byculla, and Bandra in the next phase.

Authority Speak:

“These facilities are very popular in western countries. Considering the high vehicle density in Mumbai the proposed parking facility will provide massive relief to vehicle owners who travel to South and Central Mumbai frequently. Gradually, we will augment the number of these facilities by understanding the demand and supply ratio,” said a civic body officer.