Metered parking

Parking is one of the biggest problems faced by all major cities in the world and Colombo is no exception. During certain hours it is very difficult to find a parking spot on some roads. New buildings are now required by law to have ample surface and/or basement parking while a private firm has been given the contract of levying fees from motorists who park at certain locations in the city, apart from places where Colombo Municipal Council has its own wardens. After a Supreme Court verdict that basically barred the Police from deciding on parking locations, this task falls to the respective local bodies and since then, the CMC has tried its best to expand parking bays in the City.

Attendants

However, there are some parking bays with a designated P sign that have no attendants. Anyone can park freely at these places with no time limit. This impacts the CMC and other motorists in two ways. The CMC loses any potential revenue because these bays are free and since some motorists virtually hold on to these spots throughout the day, other motorists are inconvenienced.

At least, officials at the CMC seem to have realised this lacuna and are planning to introduce parking meters, which are very popular abroad, to charge parking fees. Drivers will be able to pay their fee through the new electronic parking meters, and they can even use credit cards to make payments. Mobile phone and NFC payments are also likely to be incorporated, which will negate the need to hunt for coins or currency notes. These new electronic parking meters will be installed under a pioneer program at several identified locations. The pilot project would start in the area surrounding Duplication Road (R A de Mel Mawatha), which is now one-way up to Wellawatte and has a good number of free parking spots.

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Depending on the success of this model project, it is likely to be expanded to other roads and even by-lanes in Colombo. In the meantime, the CMC should strive to expand the parking spots available and perhaps work on curbing some of the excessive parking fees charged by certain private establishments.

Proposals

This is one of the most prudent proposals mooted by the CMC in recent times and all Government authorities should extend the fullest cooperation to the CMC to make it a success. Many motorists apparently have no qualms paying Rs.50 or more per hour at some of Colombo's malls, hospitals or other buildings, so we see no reason why anyone should grumble if the CMC, which maintains most of Colombo's roads, decides to levy a reasonable fee for on-street parking. The parking facility should be timed as well, to prevent one car from holding on to a single spot for hours on end. (For example, the machine may say Rs.50 per two hours only, but it is up to the CMC to decide on a reasonable fare scheme). The CMC should also introduce a season card facility for people who may need to use a given parking bay frequently. Once this system is up and running, the Police should interfere only if there is a violation of rules per se, such as parking on a pavement or double parking. Otherwise, it should be run entirely by the CMC or an entity nominated by the CMC.

Meters

Since most Sri Lankans are not familiar with the concept of parking meters, the CMC will have to educate motorists via the media on using this device. Moreover, attendants should be posted at the parking meters to explain as to how the meters work and how payments can be made at least until the motorists get completely familiar with the system. It may sound complicated at first, but parking meters are rather simple affairs that do not require a degree in astrophysics to figure out. There is however still no indication whether the proposed meters will give change or require an exact amount. There is no doubt that other municipal councils especially the Kandy and Galle MCs will be looking at this project with interest, because parking is an acute problem in those cities as well.

The CMC should also look at the latest developments abroad in this area. It is already possible to power the parking meters by solar technology (they do not require much power any way) and some parking meters have Wi-Fi on board. In some countries, it is possible to use iPhone and Android apps in conjunction with parking meters to minimise any inconvenience. Here is how one such system called ParkSnap works: When you park and pay at a parking meter, you take a picture of your printed receipt using your phone's camera, which interfaces with the app.

Picture

The idea here is that once you take a picture of the receipt, ParkSnap knows what time your parking spot expires, and so it sets a timer to alert you when your time is almost up. Moreover, ParkSnap will remember where you parked and will give you directions back to your car if you forget where you left it. In a few years, all parking meters are likely to be connected to the Internet any way via the Internet of Things initiative. Your car and the parking meter will be able to 'talk' to each other and settle the dues even without your intervention. In fact, it might not be necessary to have parking meters at all - a nearby networked lamp post might be able to double up. In real time, car parkers may be able to extend their sessions remotely from anywhere, without the hassle of returning to the meter.

Parking is a problem that calls for a multitude of solutions and this is only one way it can be addressed. In the long run, the goal should be to reduce the number of vehicles entering the cities, which should automatically take care of the parking problem and free up more space for other activities. But we should move ahead with nr technology and this is a good start.