Multilevel parking puzzle: Packed in some areas, underused in others

New Delhi: With the city brimming with vehicles of various types, multi-level parking facilities are supposed to decongest its crowded areas. However, TOI found that while some multi-level parking facilities, run by Municipal Corporation of Delhi across the city, are mostly packed, many also remain underutilised and nearby roads stay choked with vehicles.The utilisation pattern varies significantly across the city, often highlighting a mismatch between the available infrastructure and commuters' behaviour.
The Lajpat Nagar multi-level parking, which has six modules with a total capacity of 246 vehicles, is almost always packed. According to the operator, most spaces remain occupied throughout the day.However, with the facility remaining crowded, many motorists opt for surface parking along the busy market stretch, leading to congestion, particularly during peak market hours on both weekdays and weekends. With roads outside the market lined with parked cars, the traffic movement often slows down to a crawl, especially near the main market, and the road, a two-lane stretch, gets reduced to a single functional lane."We prefer to park here because it saves time. After shopping, we can quickly pick up our vehicles instead of walking back to a distant parking lot," said a shopper.During a visit on Thursday afternoon, TOI found the multi-level parking facility nearing full capacity with over 200 vehicles. Constructed in 2001, the complex can accommodate close to 80 SUV cars on the first and second levels, while the third to sixth floors are designed to park up to 166 sedan cars. The facility offers both daily parking and monthly passes, with provisions for day and night parking.The Kalkaji multi-level underground parking, which has three levels, also sees high utilisation. TOI found around 120 vehicles parked on one level, while the overall capacity is around 350. The structure was well maintained, though the lighting was slightly dim in certain sections. The surface parking in the nearby Kalkaji market also usually remains packed.At Nizamuddin, the parking can accommodate around 86 vehicles and was found fully occupied, mainly by monthly pass holders. Attendants said the facility maintained an average utilisation rate of 84%.Compared to these facilities, the relatively new multi-level facility at GK-I M block, remains largely underutilised. The structure has seven floors — four of them operational. The facility, which was inaugurated last Sept, is designed to accommodate up to 399 vehicles — 57 per level.While the facility sees slightly better usage during weekends, occupancy remains very low on weekdays, a parking attendant said. "On weekdays, the occupancy hardly reaches around 40%," he said, attributing the low usage partly to lack of public awareness about the facility and motorists' preference for convenience. According to him, many drivers feel that using the multi-level parking takes more time. The presence of a surface parking lot in front of the facility has also affected its utilisation as motorists often choose the easier option, he added. However, the attendant also pointed out that the surface parking was expected to operate only for another one and a half months. In north Delhi, at Model Town-II, a three-storey underground facility, inaugurated in 2013, also remains largely unused. The structure, designed to accommodate 110 cars, has remained non-functional since the beginning due to faulty design, narrow access lanes and technical defects, alleged residents.Sanjay Gupta, president of Model Town Residents Society RWA, said either the facility should be made fully functional or demolished and replaced with a modern multi-storey automated system. Currently, only 20 cars are parked on the ground floor, he claimed.Some facilities battle location-specific factors. At Nigambodh Ghat, for instance, the multi-level parking facility records low usage as many visitors are reluctant to take their vehicles inside the cremation ground premises. Those entering the premises also often prefer to park in nearby open or free parking areas.The complex can accommodate around 95 cars across three blocks. Officials said rarely even 30% of the capacity was full.MCD currently operates 30 multilevel parking facilities and has proposed 10 more. It also runs 419 surface parking sites, which have 27,684 spaces for two-wheelers, 46,958 for four-wheelers and 1,267 for six-wheelers.Civic officials claimed that most MCD parking facilities were being properly utilised. The larger parking problem in the city stems from the lack of available land in densely populated commercial areas, they pointed out. "In many places where parking is required, land is simply not available. Often land is available at some distance from markets. In such cases, motorists prefer surface parking closer to their destination," an official said.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Women's day wishes, messages and quotes !