Lingering Parking Crisis

In any worthwhile city planning the allocation of parking slots for the vehicles is a given. Gone are the times when there were only a few private vehicles plying on the roads and anyone could park the car anywhere on the roadside. Now we have so much of traffic flowing in and out of the market areas of the city that unless adequate parking spaces are available one cannot shop in the market.

This is what is happening in the city markets today. The problem is particularity grave when it comes to traditional market places of the old Srinagar city, commonly known as Downtown. Since our public transport system is so inadequate that most of the people use their own vehicles to cover even the small distances, the rush of traffic in these markets hardly leaves any space to park. In  such a situation the only option is to have more parking slots identified and properly managed.

Since there are very less open spaces left, there is need to make the already available parking spaces moe efficient. One way is to create multilevel mechanised parking areas. That can accommodate more vehicles and thus provide a breather to those who come to shop in these market places.

As the crisis of parking lingers, it impacts business in the market. Already our retail markets are under strain, given a dip in the purchasing power of the people and a deeper penetration of online shopping. In such a situation if we have to save traditional market spaces and allow people to comfortably shop in such spaces, creating proper parking slots is a must.

Not just that, government should creatively think of carving out some open spaces where people can hang out and there is enhanced activity in the markets. For the sake of lifting these market spaces up and enhancing the prospect of business for the shopkeepers there, it is crucial that all measures are taken to increase the footfall.

In absence of those measures the business in these market continues to suffer and it adds to our economic worries as grassroots level. Creating more parking slots is just one step in the right direction.