Traffic and parking officials patch up, agree to improve coordination

Officials in Lepark says that the traffic police has apologised for any inconvenience and vowed to cooperate with them

LAHORE:

Traffic police and Lahore Parking Company, or LePark, officials met on Thursday and agreed to improve coordination and cooperation as the company takes over the parking facilities in the city.

Traffic police officials lodged an FIR against the LePark supervisor of the parking stand at Pace on Gulberg’s Mail Boulevard a week ago for allowing parking on the road. LePark officials complained that the area was an approved parking zone and the traffic police had not even approached them to discuss the matter before arresting the official and lodging a police complaint.

They also accuse traffic wardens of creating hurdles in their takeover of other parking facilities from private contractors.

District Coordination Officer Noorul Amin Mengal, Chief Traffic Officer Sohail Chaudhry, LePark Managing Director Mian Shakeel and District Officer (Public Facilities) Fahad Anees met on Thursday to resolve the matter.

Officials in Lepark said that the traffic police had apologised for any inconvenience and vowed to cooperate with them. Asked about the case against the LePark official, Shakeel said that since an FIR had already been registered, the matter would go to court, but the traffic police had agreed not to pursue the prosecution.



He said that it had been agreed at the meeting that when the company takes over more parking stands, it would be a “joint venture” with the traffic police. “Staff from the Parking Company and traffic police will visit the sitet together and discuss all the issues pertaining to parking and traffic. Suggestions given by traffic police will be taken into account,” he said.

About the auctioning off of parking facilities to private operators, Shakeel said it had now been decided that they would all be auctioned off to a single company.

Initially, the plan had been to divide the city into 28 zones and auction each off individually.

Officials also considered dividing the city into two zones for auction, but now they have decided that a single company should operate all parking facilities in the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2013.