Many urban planners and keen residents perceive the Smart City project as a plain and simple construction biased project with nothing smart or intelligent about it. In fact, some even call the IPSCDL as Imagine Panjim Smart Construction Development Ltd. The reason is thus far, Smart City has only constructed sewerage, roads and footpaths. The reckless and mindless manner in which the internet and TV cables were cut is potent proof of how unsmart the Smart City managers appear to be, with no alternate provisions made to provide for 4 lakh internet users.
As the city's human and vehicle population continues to surge, one of the critical aspects of smart cities is facing the mounting challenges in managing traffic, ensuring accessibility and improving overall urban life. Over 50% of Goa's population resides in urban areas, however the Smart City does not have increasing parking space as a priority. In fact, it is actively reducing parking space with the mindless and adhoc manner in which it is going about constructing roundabouts, roads and footpaths, without consulting citizens.
A visible example where parking space has been halved is the tree lined avenue from Hotel Neptune to Café Bhosle. Here, where three cars could be parked between two ancient trees has been reduced to two cars, by putting huge cemented squares around the trees. So, where earlier about 25 cars could be accommodated on both sides of the road, now only 15 cars can be accommodated.
Similarly parking at the Café Bhosle square has been halved, by erecting a huge unnecessary triangle. Recently, after the local shopkeepers protested and O Heraldo highlighted the senseless planning, the width of the triangle was reduced by 2 metres only. However, on February 25, around 11.30 am, when an onsite Smart City engineer was questioned as to why there was need for such as huge triangle, when the original triangle and sitting space was three times smaller and why parking of at least 50 two wheelers and at least 15 cars in the area was reduced, the engineer said that it was not a "notified parking area." Asked how Smart City had increased parking area in the city, he did not have any answers.
Another parking area which has been massacred is, beside the old Post Master General Office Panjim, where earlier at least 15 cars would be parked. Two huge mounds of mud have been dumped there for planting grass, which is totally unwarranted since precious parking space has been destroyed. Similarly, parking spaces infront of St Inez church and the cemetery have been reduced and eliminated respectively. Where will these additional cars park now?
Smart City has not only to create additional parking space, but with such rapid urbanization and increase in vehicle population, provide real-time parking data. Smart cities, powered by the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and big data, should be used to ease congestion and enhance efficiency in traffic movement and parking. Comparatively our Smart City plans seem to belong to the Stone Age.
The world over, innovators in the field have introduced sophisticated systems that incorporate cutting-edge technologies such as sensors, cameras, machine vision, and big data analytics. These smart parking systems empower municipalities to regulate parking availability, optimize traffic movement, and address congestion hotspots through predictive analytics. By analyzing historical patterns, these systems can inform policy decisions that enhance future urban planning.
The real game changer for drivers in Goa would be, reduced search time for finding parking space with Smart Parking by introducing a real time App and IoT-integrated reservation systems, which would really make the city, "Smart". It is estimated that drivers waste an average of 25 minutes per day searching for parking, translating to nearly six full days per year. The inefficiency of conventional parking methods not only frustrates drivers but also contributes to unnecessary traffic congestion and increased emissions.
Autonomous occupancy detection technology should be introduced to ensure real-time accuracy, guiding users directly to vacant spaces. Even the shuttle service which have been introduced, do not work on a smart system. They should be integrated as part of rapid transport system App, where the exact location of a particular city bus should be pinpointed on the route and how long it would take and what time it would reach a particular bus stop. That would give passengers the opportunity to save time and reach their destinations on time.
Creating adequate and Smart parking would reduce parking search time, decrease traffic congestion, lower carbon emissions, and improve overall urban mobility. Only then will the Smart City be really "smart" by integrating Smart Parking and other Smart Systems. Building roads, pavements and sewage does not make the city "smart", by any inch of imagination.