Civitas Urban Solutions in association with Chennai City Connect and supported by Sakthi Foundation, Delhi, is conducting a study on parking in Chennai.

Parking has been an important facet of various transport and road policies across the world. It is said to ease traffic and lead to the seamless flow of vehicles devoid of obstructions. Proper parking facilities should be provided to decongest roads and reduce the time for origin- destination travel for commercial vehicles, trucks, buses, etc. Improper parking, especially in India, often leads to distortions in traffic and proper carrying out of trade and even affects the productivity of the population, owing to bottlenecks. It is, therefore, pertinent to have a holistic understanding of parking as a component of development of cities and towns in India. Parking in India is not based on a demand and supply basis nor developed to cater to the needs of the population. There is the need to have differential pricing determined through various models keeping in mind the target group and the fiscal (fund) and physical (land) requirements.

The said study aims to provide suggestions to improve parking and develop suitable models for parking in the Corporation of Chennai. Civitas will be identifying the demand of parking and will analyse models existing in various countries, studying the scope of utilizing such models and parking management techniques in Chennai. Case studies will be done at select locations in the city and proper parking management will be formulated by September 2011.