Thane Smart Parking: Full Speed Ahead

The administration has now cleared the way to implement the Thane Municipal Corporation’s Smart Parking policy, which had been stuck for the past three years.

In the last few years, the number of vehicles in Thane has crossed 3 million, reaching every household. Due to a lack of dedicated parking, drivers park on the main roads, slowing down traffic and causing permanent congestion. The policy was approved in April 2023, but it was not implemented due to a lack of practical studies, operator selection, and road changes.

The city has approximately 186 roads categorised into four groups (A, B, C, and D) based on traffic density.  These roads have a combined capacity for over 11,000 vehicles to be parked on the street.

The administration believes that implementing this policy with updated rates and a technical study of parking capacity is essential to discipline the traffic system. A project worth approximately 280 million rupees was previously discussed for hiring a private operator. The focus has now shifted to practical implementation. Citizens are waiting to see how effectively this plan will be executed on the ground to provide relief from traffic woes.