Promises on paper, pressure on roads: Chennai’s parking crisis continues

parking crisis continues in chennai

A parking demand study found that during the busiest 30 minutes of the day, about 11,456 cars use primary and secondary roads

For over 15 years, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) rolled out one parking promise after another — parking meters in 2010, multilevel parking in 2016, and now smart parking in 2026. On the ground, however, little has changed. In the city’s narrow lanes, chaos still reigns.

Notably in 2014, a tie-up between the city administration and Google allowed motorists in Chennai to search for available parking lots in Adyar, Teynampet, Kodambakkam, Anna Nagar, and Royapuram. The status of this is unknown, much like most of the other projects conceived by the civic body over the years.

Munusamy, an autorickshaw driver for over 30 years, said, “Some roads such as Norton Road in Mandavelipakkam, Border Thottam in Triplicane, and the narrow interior lanes near Jones Road in Saidapet are meant for two-lane traffic. Cars, two-wheelers, and sometimes even buses — near a school in K.K. Nagar — struggle to pass through when there is two-way traffic as well as roadside parking. You know how tightly guarded the Poes Garden Road is? Try driving via Poes Road towards Varadharajapuram Main Road in Teynampet — vehicles are parked on both sides in narrow lanes.”

“Parking issues have become acute in the last 15 years, while owning a vehicle has become easier. In 2011, there were parking meters in Royapettah, but they disappeared the very next year. In areas such as Nungambakkam or T. Nagar, vehicles are towed away occasionally, but not often. I have not seen anyone being fined for parking,” he added.

In the GCC Budget Session 2026, Mayor R. Priya announced that smart parking facilities would be implemented in 20 locations across the city, particularly in areas with rampant on-street parking such as Adyar, Velachery, Purasawalkam, Triplicane-Marina, Besant Nagar, West Mambalam, Saidapet, Meenambakkam, and Tiruvottiyur. Tenders have been floated for implementation in T. Nagar and Anna Nagar, a GCC official said.