Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) has proposed introducing paid parking in Islamabad to mitigate traffic congestion in the city.
According to the report titled "Traffic Management & Congestion Mitigation: Parking Policy for Islamabad,” the net revenue, after accounting for all costs from just 30 parking lots in seven locations, would be around Rs51 million per month. It also stated that 69.3% of the parkers are willing to pay for Parking.
PIDE’s RASTA launched two much-awaited reports on “Power, Profit & Plans: The Political Economy of Housing in Pakistan” and "Traffic Management & Congestion Mitigation: Parking Policy for Islamabad.”
The highly anticipated gathering brought together esteemed experts, policymakers, and stakeholders to address the urgent challenges surrounding the pressing issues facing the country. Speaking at the launching ceremony, former PIDE Research chief Dr Idrees Khawaja said the study undertaken on the demand of the Capital Development Authority argues that free parking is, in a sense a subsidy to car owners and encourages car use beyond the optimal limit.
The idea of the study emerged in a meeting between PIDE VC Dr Nadeem Ul Haque and the then CDA Chairman Amer Ali Ahmed, in January 2022.
Dr Haque proposed introducing paid Parking in Islamabad to reduce traffic congestion. Ahmed jumped on the idea and formally asked PIDE to propose the conceptual design and determine the idea's viability, he said.
To devise a parking plan for Islamabad on a pilot basis, the PIDE team surveyed 66 parking locations in 17 busy markets of Islamabad. The survey was undertaken to determine the demand and supply of parking. The survey findings suggest that in several locations and during several hours of the day, the demand for Parking exceeds the supply, leading motorists to spend considerable time cruising for parking, spending extra fuel, and parking in the streets.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 13th, 2023.
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