The parking mess under the Zero Mile Freedom Park metro station has escalated into a daily battle as two-wheelers spill every inch of the parking space into a suffocating thicket of bikes. An obstacle course of handlebars, bumpers and scooters have been wedged tightly as the lanes between the pillars now resemble a jammed vehicle yard. An area has been designated as cycle parking zone, which too has been swallowed entirely by motorcycles.

 

A commuter mentions that during peak hour, let alone parking a vehicle, it gets difficult to find a standing space as well. Crisis amplified by non-metro users: Metro authorities maintain that this crisis is getting amplified by people who are not metro commuters at all. A metro official mentioned that many of the parked vehicles belong to outsiders who treat the shaded area as a free for all parking spot. “So many of these two-wheelers belong to those who park their vehicles here while they attend nearby offices, coaching centres and run market errands. This directly affects genuine commuters who have to hunt for the parking space.” MahaMetro has begun rolling out solutions to reduce dependency on personal vehicles, as mentioned by the official.

 

“Shared autorickshaw services have begun at 20 metro stations including this one to help ease situations like this,” he mentioned. Strict monitoring and certification linked parking Experts mention that without attendants, verification, or controlled entry and exit, anyone can ride in and park simply. Transport planners have pointed out that this situation is not unique to the city. Several metros across India go through similar issues. Cities like Pune and Delhi have managed to reduce such congestion by using verification linked parking, strict monitoring and structured grid markings. Experts have emphasised that these steps need to be implemented in Nagpur Metro as well. However, without decisive changes, the current patterns risk becoming permanent.