VIJAYAWADA: Parking woes for motorists will soon end as Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) is planning to introduce smart parking facility on a pilot basis in 16 locations across the city. Vehicle parking has been a constant problem for people who visit Eluru Road, Mahatma Gandhi Road, One Town and Governorpet.
It may be recalled that VMC had earlier identified 29 parking lots on MG Road and other places for real time parking interface. However, the initiative did not materialise in a full-fledged manner causing much inconvenience to commuters. A few weeks ago, a team of representatives from VMC conducted a study in the city and decided to introduce smart parking facility on busy stretches of Eluru Road, Governorpet, Besant Road, One Town and Patamata areas.
According to VMC state officials, the motorists will be provided information of the space available in the parking lots through a mobile app or the website. It will be easier for them to know about available parking place before they start from home. As part of the smart parking technology, the surface of the pavement will be fixed with vehicle detection sensors which will detect the presence of vehicles and send data to central server. The server will send information on vacant space to customers through the mobile app or website.
“I find it extremely difficult to park my four-wheeler on Eluru Road. I often park my vehicle on the open space nearby. The vehicle has scratches on it and often people use the side mirrors of the car. VMC should provide safety to vehicles in addition to smart parking lots’’, said Ch Nagendra Babu, an employee in a private organisation.
VMC estate officer Ch Krishna Murthy said that the civic body has come up with the smart parking concept to curb traffic menace on busy stretches and avoid fleecing of money by private persons. VMC has entrusted the task of developing a software to New Delhi-based Gateway Parking Company. He added, “The smart parking locations have been identified across the city and will be launched in next few weeks after conducting a formal inspection by traffic police officials.”
16 locations where smart parking facility will be introduced by VMC
Andhra Bank ATM, opp Museum Road
Liberty Hair Style, Eluru Road
Nokia Showroom, Eluru Road
Swagruha Foods, Eluru Road
Sri Ram Chit Funds officer, Eluru Road
Silco Showroom, Eluru Road
AP Optical Showroom, Eluru Road
SBI ATM, near Ramamandiram
Ravi Medical Store, near Vijaya Talkies
Positive Homeopathy Hospital, Eluru Road
Rajiv Gandhi Park, One Town
KBN Degree College, One Town
Ansari Parking Space, Governorpet
Govindarajulu Market, Besant Road
BVR Complex, Patamata
Brahmananda Reddy Complex, Chuttugunta