The Greater Chennai Corporation is initiating a pilot smart parking management system in some parts of the city, as well as discussing extensive plans with experts and other departments to formulate a full-fledged policy for the whole metropolis, reports Times Of India.

Currently, the corporation is moving forward with an area-restricted parking management system spread across 378 locations; an app-based smart parking fees payment mechanism will be introduced for such areas.

An overall policy will cover the entire city and ensure that the parking systems are maintained even after the initial period of implementation.

Research associate of urban development at the Institute of Transportation and Development Policy Nashwa Naushad stated that “A policy for parking will institutionalise the entire system. The parking management system, once finalised, will have rules which can be enforced only when a policy is in place.”

The corporation’s plans are being held back by limitations of available data, as its studies have only covered the possibility for a parking management system for bus routes.

“We need to study the locations where parking spaces are required in the city. Only cars are covered in multi-level parking. Two-wheeler parking will also be brought under the policy. For this, vacant pieces of land belonging to various government agencies are being identified,” remarked Deputy Commissioner M Govinda Rao, adding that a complete policy will take some time to develop.