Motorcycle Parking Plaza to make its debut

A Motorcycle Parking Plaza, first of its kind even in the world, is set to be constructed in the city creating a new history of parking plazas for two-wheelers.
Aim of the project is to cater to motorcyclists, which make more than 60 percent of the total number of motorists in the provincial metropolis. The proposed plaza will be build by the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) at Mohalla 22, Yasin Street, Hall Road on one kanal land at a cost of Rs 39.6 million. The four-storey building will have a parking capacity of around 193 motorcycles. LDA announced the project with other development projects in its governing body meeting held with Lahore District Coordination Officer (DCO) and LDA Chairman Ahad Cheema in the chair on Friday.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency (TEPA) Director Israr Saeed said that the LDA was going to start a new era of parking plazas mitigating parking woes of two wheelers and tenders would be floated on June 25. According to a TEPA survey, he said that motorcycles’ density stood at around 1,300 per day at Hall Road. “The number of vehicles at the Moon Market is 900 while Nila Gumbad is visited by around 2,000 two wheelers,” he said quoting the survey conducted to calculate the number of motorcycles running on city roads.
To a question, he said that a motorcycle parking plaza had never been constructed anywhere in the world, as two wheeler population never crossed half of total vehicles present on the road. But Lahore is swarming with motorcycles and there was a dire need of constructing the plaza, which is now being fulfilled by the LDA, he added. LDA is also planning to construct two car parking plaza costing around Rs 1 billion.
One car parking plaza will be built at Neela Gumbad near Anarkali. This double-storey structure will be constructed underground at location of the existing fountain area in the locality on land measuring 14 kanals and 4 marlas. It will cost Rs 390 million and have a capacity of 365 vehicles and 360 motorcycles. Upon its completion, normal traffic flow in the locality will continue.
The other car parking plaza will be constructed at Moon Market, Allama Iqbal Town on land measuring seven kanals at a cost of Rs 590 million. It will be a ten-storey plaza with a parking capacity of 400 cars and 500 motorcycles along with two commercial floors with 67 shops. LDA will also construct two pedestrian overhead bridges in front of the Children Hospital Complex at Ferozepur Road and facing Sheikh Zayed Hospital at Khyban-e-Jamia Punjab, Lahore, with a total cost of Rs 58.9 million. The authority will also develop a cricket ground at G-Block Sabzazar and construct a pavilion besides providing allied facilities with a cost of Rs 46.20 million.