AHMEDABAD: Residents of Ahmedabad are all too familiar with the daily traffic scene. SG Road crawls at 7pm, Prahladnagar becomes congested on Monday afternoons, and cars obstruct sidewalks near tea stalls on Ashram Road. For years, traffic management has relied on quick fixes—cones, police officers, and complaints. Now, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is introducing a proactive approach: requiring developers to shoulder the costs of congestion before it even occurs.
The new Comprehensive Traffic and Road Safety Policy is built around three main principles. First, “no large commercial development can move forward without a compulsory traffic impact assessment (TIA).” This assessment will evaluate the additional vehicle load a project will add to Ahmedabad’s already crowded roads and outline the measures developers must take to mitigate that impact. “Key details regarding the applicability area and criteria for defining a ‘large establishment’ are still being finalized by AMC,” explained a senior civic official.
Second, an innovative building rating system will assess structures based on their environmental, economic, and societal effects, promoting accountability within the construction industry. Third, to enhance public accessibility, a shared parking initiative will require malls, offices, and institutions to open their private parking spaces to the general public—underscoring that parking on public roads is a privilege, not an entitlement.
Penalties for non-compliance are significant. A second offense will double the administrative fee, while a third offense will triple it. Unsettled dues can delay trade license renewals. Illegally dumping construction debris over 25 square meters could lead to a hefty Rs 50,000 fine, and placing branded chairs on footpaths incurs a Rs 1,000 penalty. The AMC has also launched a dedicated Parking Cell to evaluate basements and podiums, as many spaces designated for vehicles have been repurposed into storage rooms, offices, or retail spaces.
Developer Varun Patel remarked, “If a developer offers complimentary visitor parking, they should receive a corresponding amount of free Floor Space Index (FSI) in return. For example, in a building with 150 offices, providing free FSI for at least 50% of the visitor parking requirement will incentivize developers to create sufficient visitor parking.” Teacher Kruti Chawda added, “Roads become chaotic during construction. This initiative by the government to have builders manage traffic in those areas is commendable. The police already have enough on their plates, and adding this responsibility would only complicate matters.”
