Chandigarh: In a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at easing chronic parking congestion, the municipal corporation (MC) Monday moved a step closer to introducing robotic multilevel parking in Chandigarh by sending detailed survey plans of two of the city’s busiest parking sites to the UT administration’s urban planning department for a feasibility study.The two locations identified for the pilot exercise are the paid parking lot outside Elante Mall in Industrial Area, Phase I, and the surface parking at Patel Market in Sector 15. The urban planning department has been tasked with conducting a detailed site assessment, physical inspection and conceptual planning based on the available space and latest architectural standards.If found viable, the projects could bring automated parking systems to Chandigarh, where vehicles are parked and retrieved through mechanical lifts and robotic shuttles instead of being driven and parked manually. Officials said such systems can significantly increase parking capacity in densely developed urban areas where land is scarce.MC officials deliberately selected two different kinds of sites for the study. While the Elante parking lot offers a relatively large area, the Sector 15 site is considerably smaller and surrounded by commercial establishments. By examining both, authorities hope to assess whether robotic parking can be implemented across varying site conditions in the city.Sources said the survey plans shared with the urban planning department include detailed topographic information, digitally mapping nearby buildings, utility lines, poles, services and other physical features that could influence project design. The data will enable planners to evaluate constraints and opportunities before drawing up detailed proposals.“The survey captures every significant structural and service element around the two sites. Since both parking lots are located in built-up areas, this information will help planners assess the feasibility and prepare suitable designs,” a source said.The move follows a joint visit by Chandigarh administration and MC officials to Delhi last month to study operational robotic parking facilities. During the visit, the team interacted with stakeholders and examined issues such as project feasibility, operational requirements, maintenance costs, management systems and long-term viability.Senior technical officers, including the UT chief architect and the MC chief engineer, were part of the delegation and reviewed the mechanical and engineering aspects of fully functional robotic parking systems before the proposal was taken up for Chandigarh.
