The parking issues in Lahore may not be a new headache for the citizens, but they are turning into a nightmare due to the lack of governance in the provincial capital.
The traffic load on the roads has become so immense that it resembles a flowing river at all times around the clock. Add the parking issues to that, and the test of nerves begin for the general public. There is a substantial shortage of parking plazas in Lahore particularly in the congested areas where the roads are so narrow that it’s almost next to impossible to even think of taking your car or motorbike to your desired place. On the other hand, several illegal private parking stands have worsened the overall situation as they are charging extraordinary parking fee from the public. It all accounts to the lack of any regulatory authority to keep a check and balance on overcharging. Even different shopping plazas are exploiting the public by charging them high parking fee. The government changed last year, and since then there is no local government set up that could keep an eye on such activities and curb any malpractices in the market.
The government has notified about the parking fee as Rs.30, which is hardly followed anywhere else across the provincial capital. Not only the private parking contractors but the management of shopping malls are also looting the public in broad daylight. The trend of shopping malls has been on the rise for a few years, and people prefer to go there instead of local markets. Unfortunately, it’s disappointing to see most of them charging Rs.50 on the hour basis from the customers. The previously introduced electronic parking tickets system through the Lahore Parking Company (LPC) is also not effective anymore. The current government of PTI has almost diminished the company without introducing any alternate to the rising issues.
For instance, consider an example of the IT hub of the city near Hafeez Centre. There is no proper parking place around the whole area. The private contractors were also previously charging Rs.50 per hour, which is now changed to a flat Rs.100 parking fee. Looting the public in the name of high demand and less space for parking is certainly condemnable. This is mainly due to the absence of any regulatory parking service in the provincial capital.
Similarly, Hall Road and Mall Road is the business hub in the city where no parking plaza is established to solve the prevailing issues. The business community has long been demanding for a parking plaza, but no practical step has been taken so far. The project is said to be considered several times by the local government, but nothing seems to be coming into existence. Anarkali Bazaar is another remarkable example of rising parking issues as most of the customers coming to shop here only find a parking space in the Mayo Hospital located nearby. The city traffic police have already imposed a restriction on parking around the park at Neela Gumbad Chowk.
The current government’s accountability drive has also led to downsizing in the Lahore Parking Company (LPC). More than 150 employees have so far been fired for various reasons. On the other hand, the Lahore Division Commissioner has directed the authorities to deploy inspectors of the Municipal Corporation Lahore (MCL) to launch a crackdown against all the illegal parking stands in the provincial capital. It is still unknown whether these measures will result in fruitful or not because such campaigns have been introduced several times over the past without any desired output. It’s such a terrible situation that even those places which are not even considered as parking places are also being used by the private parking mafia. The government should take immediate notice of the prevailing situation and deploy a regulatory authority which could provide a sense of relief to the general public. Mechanical rotary parking is a good idea in this regard as it occupies less space and offers more parking. It has already been installed at a few places in Lahore.
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