‘Design of our cities is not in-sync with our transport policies’
LAHORE: Parking issues are becoming worse in the provincial capital, despite the contours of Lahore stretching and expanding the city, exposing the negligence and indifference of urban planners, Pakistan Today has observed.
To deal with the parking issues of the city, the Punjab government had formed Lahore Parking Company (LePARK), a subsidiary of City District Government Lahore (CDGL). Despite the passage of 4 years since its inception, the company has failed to meet its objectives and provide facilities expected of it.
According to company officials, LePARK is operating with around 180 parking lots in the city including 6 parking plazas and one rotary parking. The company claims that these parking lots have improved the situation in the city; however, one can observe city roads being encroached with illegal parking stands, causing traffic congestions and worsening the situation.
Taking action on the issue, in January, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif had warned LePARK to better the system and reduce the distress caused to the people. Recently, the company announced to add rotary parking machines in its system, one of which is already working in Ichra. However, concerned citizens continue to have their reservation on the parking system of Lahore. They say that the town planners should have strategised about the parking issues while the city was expanding.
Lawyer and environmentalist Ahmad Rafay Alam, while lamenting the urban planning system, said that the design of our cities is not in-sync with our transport policy. He made his reservations about the system, saying: “Looking into the Lahore’s urban planning system, it seems that the city was made to facilitate the rich”, adding that further efforts are made to maintain these facilities by expending the public exchequer.
Alam, while talking to Pakistan Today, expressed his grave concern, and said that these parking systems do not facilitate the common public. He also criticised that the cost to operate rotary parking machines is too high and without any gains.
Former Planning Commission deputy chairman Nadeem Haque also showed his concern over the parking system in Lahore. In his tweet he said that the government is importing machinery as subsidy to facilitate the rich.
An official in the town planning wing of Lahore Development Authority (LDA) admitted that it was the responsibility of the authority to manage the parking in the city according to the needs and expansions of Lahore. Seeking anonymity, he said that the planners have no training in finding the right balance between construction of buildings and parking spaces.
However, Rafay Alam while talking about the solution to growing problem in Lahore, said: “Public transport and urban design must be linked to transport,” he suggested, and said that authorities must make a significant increase in parking fees. “High parking fees will reduce the parking load as it will discourage the use of cars among public,” he added.
On other hand, a spokesperson of LePARK told Pakistan Today that company’s efficiency was up to the mark and it will build new parking plazas and set a new rotary parking very soon.