The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) is planning to construct a multistoried car parking facility at New Road to address the problem of parking in the area. 

New Road is one of the busiest business hubs in the Capital, with only a handful of parking areas which are invariably packed and poorly managed. 

Dhani Ram Sharma, executive officer of the KMC, said they were planning to build a five-storied parking facility with an automated lift system to address the problem of parking space at New Road. 

The KMC has already run a feasibility study for the faciltiy which can accommodate over 400 vehicles, he added.

“Whether the facility will be built according to public private partnership (PPP) model or the KMC will solely pay for it is the only thing that remains to be decided,” said Sharma.  

Mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya had announced the plan for the multi-storied parking facility on the occasion of the KMC’s 23rd anniversary on Saturday.

The KMC plans to construct the facility on its property at Dharmapath, a 890-sq mt space where the metropolis had its office building previously. 

Growing vehicle numbers in the Kathmandu Valley has caused the problem of traffic congestion and inadequate parking spaces. This problem is likely to grow in the future if the authorities concerned fail to devise a proper solution. Already, the KMC and other government agencies have announced to promote the use of public transports, introduce monorail and phase out old vehicles. Meanwhile, the Valley’s road infrastructure is also undergoing improvement to accommodate smooth traffic flow. 

“We are also planning to build a similar parking facility in Teku. We are currently experiencing some trouble acquiring a space there, but it should be resolved soon,” said Sharma.  

The KMC had announced a similar plan of building a multi-storied parking facility last year as well. The plan, however, did not take off, which the KMC officials attributes to the lack of elected representatives.