Only 30% of metro stations will have adjacent parking space

AHMEDABAD: Only 30% of the stations on the North-South and East-West corridors of the Ahmedabad metro project will have adequate parking facilities for cars and two wheelers.
Of the 32 stations, only eight will offer parking facilities. Two other stations, Gandhigram and Sabarmati, will share parking facilities with the railways.

Senior officials of the Metro-Link Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad (MEGA) said the 19-km north-south corridor, connecting APMC Vasna and Motera, will have 15 elevated stations. Of these, only is APMC, Paldi and Ranip (inter modal transport hub) will offer parking facilities. The ones at Gandhigram and Sabarmati will share facilities with the railways.

Similarly, of the 13 elevated and four underground stations along the 21-km east-west corridor, only five stations will have parking space, including the one at the Old High Court, which will be an interchange station.

A senior Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) officer said, “If the metro fails to provide commuters adequate parking facilities, it will turn out to be another BRT. Instead of adding public transport users, the BRT reduced their numbers. The BRT had promised last-mile connectivity, but failed to provide it as the proposed feeder buses are now plying on Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) routes. If we fail to provide adequate parking facilities at stations, the project will not convert car or two-wheeler users to metro users.”

I P Gautam, managing director of MEGA said, “Providing parking is a major concern and metro authorities are in talks with the state government and private agencies for creation of parking facilities.

The authorities are also speaking to traffic police and have asked them to identify plots that can be used as parking lots.” Gautam said they plan to provide parking within 500m of each station, but without disturbing existing structures.