Kolkata, 11th March, 2025: Kolkata’s traffic congestion is at a breaking point, with unregulated parking significantly disrupting public transport operations and pedestrian movement. A new report by SwitchON Foundation, “Navigating Parking Chaos: Aiming Towards a Sustainable Parking Policy for Kolkata” reveals alarming figures—89.8% of surveyed locations suffer from double-lane parking, while 80.3% experience haphazard parking, blocking essential bus routes and commuter pathways.
With only 6% of the city’s land allocated for roads—far lower than Delhi (23%) and Mumbai (18%)—Kolkata’s inefficient parking management is directly hindering efforts to improve public mobility. Recognizing the urgency of this issue, SwitchON Foundation hosted the Roundtable on Accelerating Sustainable Mobility: Expanding Bus Fleets for Greener Cities as part of the Move for Earth Symposium. The event convened policymakers, transport authorities, urban planners, and industry leaders to develop solutions that integrate structured parking policies with public transport expansion, ensuring that Kolkata’s buses can operate efficiently and sustainably.
Recognizing the urgency of this issue, SwitchON Foundation hosted the Roundtable on Accelerating Sustainable Mobility: Expanding Bus Fleets for Greener Cities, presided over by Prof. Suganya Law, Associate Professor, Woxsen University; Ms. Karuna Singh, Regional Director Asia, Earth Day Network; Dr. Sudipta De, Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, Jadavpur University; and Mr. Sanjiv Gopal, Chief of Strategy and Planning, Asar Social Impact Advisors Pvt Ltd. as part of the Move for Earth Symposium. The event convened policymakers, transport authorities, urban planners, and industry leaders to develop solutions that integrate structured parking policies with public transport expansion, ensuring that Kolkata’s buses can operate efficiently and sustainably.
Kolkata’s mobility crisis is not just about adding more buses; it’s about ensuring they can move efficiently. Without structured parking and clear transit corridors, expanding fleets will not yield results.”, Prof. Suganya Law, Associate Professor, Woxsen University.
The roundtable discussions highlighted that unregulated parking is a major roadblock to Kolkata’s public transport efficiency. Experts emphasized the need for scaling up bus fleets, enforcing structured parking policies, and integrating multi-modal transport solutions to create a seamless urban mobility system.
“Expanding bus fleets is critical for sustainable mobility, but without structured parking solutions and traffic discipline, these efforts will fall short”, remarked Mr. Sanjiv Gopal, Chief of Strategy and Planning, Asar Social Impact Advisors Pvt Ltd.
Online Articles: The Times of India | The Times of India
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