Lack of parking space at beaches irks visitors

A Fastag-based collection of fee for parking has been proposed.

Parking spaces at the city’s beaches, especially the Marina, have been struggling to accommodate vehicles during the weekends.

According to a study by Greater Chennai Corporation on parking along the Marina Beach, the number of car parking slots in demand is estimated at 3,500 on weekends and at 884 on weekdays, while the number of slots available from Labour Statue to Light House is only 510. Similarly, while the demand for slots for two-wheelers is estimated at 5,720 during weekends and 1,134 on weekdays, there are only 1,100 slots at the beach.

Over 40 parking slots for buses have been earmarked. “Buses are parked for a minimum of four hours. On weekends, we receive 40 to 50 buses,” said an official.

Visitors to other prominent beaches such as Elliots’ Beach have also complained about the lack of parking space. As for the Marina, they say the situation has worsened owing to the traffic congestion caused by Metro Rail work. Triplicane resident I. Moses said the traffic congestion near the Marina’s parking lots was at its worst during rush hour.

“We have proposed Fastag-based collection for parking vehicles along the Marina,” said a civic official, adding that entry of vehicles would be permitted only from the left side of Kamarajar Salai, with a U-turn at War memorial.

The GCC is also proposing manual collection of parking fee with handheld devices at exit points. “As average occupancy is for a minimum of one hour, we are planning to collect ₹5 upfront for two-wheelers. If possible, we will earmark separate lanes for two-wheeler entry and exit along the Marina,” said an official.