The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has identified nine plots near metro stations for paid parking facilities that will accommodate 5,903 two-wheelers and 246 cars, in a move aimed at addressing inadequate parking around stations and encouraging more residents to use the metro.
Five of the selected plots are in the western part of Ahmedabad and four are in the eastern areas. The locations include one plot near Vastral Gam metro station, two near Nirant Crossroad, one near Apparel Park, two near Thaltej Gam, and one each near Gandhigram, Vadaj and Sabarmati metro stations.
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation plans to operate the facilities through a revenue-sharing model. An AMC official said tenders for operating the nine parking sites would be floated shortly. Users will be charged for parking, while CCTV cameras will be installed at entry and exit points. According to the official, the cameras will also help the civic body collect data on vehicle movement.
The first phase covers plots with a combined area of 36,890 square metres. In the Northwest Zone, two plots spread across 14,929 square metres will provide space for 2,389 two-wheelers and 99 four-wheelers. Three plots in the West Zone cover 2,915 square metres and can accommodate 467 two-wheelers and 20 four-wheelers.
Four plots in the East Zone cover 19,046 square metres and will provide parking for 3,047 two-wheelers and 127 four-wheelers. The combined capacity across the three zones is therefore 6,149 vehicles, with two-wheelers accounting for the overwhelming majority of the planned spaces.
The civic body is also identifying locations for a second phase, under which another 17 plots will be developed for parking near metro stations. No capacity or implementation timeline for the second phase was specified in the information available.
The parking plan follows an earlier AMC attempt to improve access to metro stations through feeder buses. The buses connected residential areas and major roads with stations and charged passengers Rs 5. However, the service was discontinued after receiving a poor response.
An AMC source said feeder bus routes had been introduced in the western part of the city after surveys and meetings with residents. The source said the civic body shifted its focus to vacant plots near metro stations after the feeder-bus experiment did not receive the expected response.
The new facilities are intended to support commuters who drive to metro stations before continuing their journeys by train. The plan places parking capacity, rather than feeder services, at the centre of AMC’s current effort to improve access to the metro network. The next formal step is the floating of tenders for the nine identified facilities.
