Cars parked in a no-parking area near Infopark. According to the KMRL parking policy, traffic issues in the core city area are more complex than those in the outer area. more-in KOCHI: The parking policy proposed by Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) under the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority recommends categorisation of the Greater Kochi region into five different zones with a combination of 30 parking strategies for each zone. Zone A will comprise the central business district, core city area, and commercial areas, while Zone B will consist of mobility corridors. Zone C will have sensitive areas, and Zone D will consist of roads other than mobility corridors. Zone E will be made up of the panchayat region. Shanmugam Road, M.G. Road, Edappally, Vyttila, Aluva, Perumbavoor, Angamaly, North Paravur, and Thripunithura fall under Zone A, whereas the Angamaly-M.G. Road-Vyttila-Thripunithura; North Paravur-Varappuzha-Edappally-Vyttila-Aroor; Madhava Pharmacy-Vypeen-Cherai, and M.G. Road-Willingdon Island-Thoppumpady and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium-Kalamassery stretches will come under Zone B. Infopark, Ambalamugal, Vallarpadam, and Container Terminal Road have been classified as sensitive areas under Zone C. According to the policy, different locations in Kochi have different parking characteristics, with traffic issues in the core city area much more complex than those in the outer area. Though several potential strategies have been suggested as policy measures for various zones, it is noted that not every strategy is appropriate in every situation. Geographic and demographic factors, among others, determine the selection and implementation of strategies for each zone. Among the 30 different parking strategies proposed for the five zones are the promotion of the use of shared vehicles, introduction of paid on-street parking, increased parking fee, parking restrictions in transit-rich and dense areas, prevention of misuse of footpaths for parking, establishment of parking control centres, technology-driven fare collection, multi-level parking sites, shared parking facilities, and incentives for those using public transport. The policy also proposes base telescopic fare based on zoning, guidance values, vehicle types, parking charges, and the existing parking demand and supply for each vehicle type depending on the duration of parking. As many as 13 fare slabs have been proposed for various types of vehicles for parking periods ranging between an hour and over 16 hours. The base fare fixed for two-wheelers vary between ?6 and ?72 depending on parking hours, while it is ?12 and ?90 for autorickshaws, ?18 and ?120 for cars, SUVs, buses, and vans and ?30 and ?210 for trucks. Parking charges in Greater Kochi have been reached based on four concepts — charging higher rates and using shorter pricing period at more convenient parking spaces to increase turnover and favour high-priority users; dedicating some or all of the revenue from on-street parking to the benefit of local business and residents; varying parking charges within different zones based on land use, traffic intensity in the area and peak and off-peak variation and weekday-weekend variation in parking charges.

Stay updated with all the Latest Kochi headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.