Dhaka North's smart parking gets stuck over fixing fees
The initiative of a smart solution for car parking in busy streets under the jurisdiction of the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has hit a roadblock as it has been stuck at the Local Government Division (LGD) of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives for five months.
The authorities in Dhaka North have proposed the launch of an app-based system for smart car parking to reduce traffic congestion and improve parking efficiency by offering parking facilities for private vehicles for a specific time with a specific fee.
However, the ministry has not approved the proposal yet, citing dissatisfaction over several issues including the fees which it considered as too high.
In a letter, the ministry has requested that the city corporation provide clearer specifications on the fee charged for parking after the fourth hour and who will be responsible for parking operations.
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Additionally, the ministry has requested that the city corporation submit a brief detailing the proposed smart parking app.
According to Dhaka North sources, the city corporation wants to make arrangements for parking spots for 202 cars on nine roads in Gulshan. These roads include the 46, 52, 58, 62, 63, 64, and 103 number roads of Gulshan, as well as the inner and outer circular roads of Gulshan-2 and the Kacha Bazar area.
Based on feedback from the pilot project, the smart parking service will be gradually extended to other areas in phases.
The DNCC Smart Parking app will allow users to easily register and view real-time availability of parking spots.
Users can even pre-book parking spaces when available. For the first two hours, the app will charge Tk50, which includes the base fare. For the third hour, the fee is also Tk50, and thereafter, users will be charged Tk100 for each subsequent hour.
There will also be two spots for motorcycles and the parking fees for motorcycles have been set at Tk15 for the first two hours, Tk15 for the third hour, and Tk30 for every hour beyond the third hour.
Dhaka North City Mayor Md Atiqul Islam said, "Last November, we did not receive approval from the LGRD ministry, even for the preparation of the inauguration of on-street smart parking. The number of private cars in the capital is increasing, but there is insufficient parking available."
"To address this issue, we proposed a very nominal fee to discourage on-street parking. However, the proposal was rejected on the grounds that the fees were too high. Nevertheless, we believe that slightly higher fees can deter car owners from driving unnecessarily. That is why we also proposed increasing the fee as the parking time increases," he added.
On 2 April, the Local Government Division (LGD) sent a letter to the LGRD Ministry seeking approval for the rate chart of the North City's On Street Smart Parking system. The letter requested specific information on five issues.
The LGD's letter requested clarification on the specification of parking arrangements for vehicles used by different categories of people, including VIPs, as well as the corresponding parking fees. Additionally, they sought clarification on the fee structure beyond the fourth hour, as well as the entity responsible for parking operations.
The letter also requested that a brief detailing the proposed smart parking apps be submitted.
Earlier, on 20 December last year, the Dhaka North City Corporation applied to the LGRD Ministry for approval of smart parking rates. Subsequently, on 12 January, the ministry requested that the city corporation provide information on the street parking policy and submit a revised rate chart. In response, the North City sent a letter on 26 January with the requested information.
On 2 April, the ministry in a letter told the city corporation that it was still unsatisfied regarding the proposal.
Deputy Secretary of the Urban Development Division (City Corporation-1) at the Local Government Division of the LGRD Ministry Mohammad Shamsul Islam told The Business Standard, "We have requested some information from the city corporation regarding smart parking, and we will take the next step once we receive their response."
When asked if the application process was stalled due to the ministry's desire to reduce the parking fee, he said that the ministry would carefully review and decide on whether to reduce the fee.
Dhaka North City Chief Executive Officer Md Selim Reza said, "We are keen on implementing the smart parking system and so is the ministry. We will soon send another letter to the ministry and hopefully get approval for the parking rate chart in a very short time."
"We intend to increase the fee for smart parking after the fourth hour to discourage city residents from using private vehicles. If the fee remains small, people may park their cars for hours," he added.
He also mentioned that since the smart parking system is new to Dhaka, it is taking some time to gain approval.
The Dhaka North City authorities said they have already installed signboards indicating the parking spots in different places.
The parking spaces will be under surveillance through CCTV cameras and will be observed from a control room. A warden will be stationed at each parking zone.
The Law and Order Coordination Committee (LOCC) of Gulshan has developed the app and will manage the technical side of the pilot project, while the traffic department of Dhaka Metropolitan Police will assist in other ways.
