Bengaluru’s parking woes: How encroachments and violations are choking the city

For 28-year-old Shwetha Pillai, a resident of Indiranagar, parking her car in front of her independent house has been a challenging experience with many cars and bikes taking up space. “There is often bumper-to-bumper parking or double parking which is mostly done by valet parkers from pubs and restaurants from around the area, which makes it difficult to park my car. With so many vehicles parked, we have strangers walking around all the time, and our home does not feel like a private space any more,” Shwetha says. Her family is now considering moving to an apartment close by which comes with a designated car parking area and more breathing space.   

Parking is an issue faced by many areas in Bengaluru which were once quiet residential localities. With 1.16 crore vehicles in Bengaluru as of March 2024, multiple pre-owned car showrooms, pre-owned bike showrooms, travel companies, and cab drivers parking their vehicles on the footpaths and on the streets of residential areas, have become common sites these days, breaking many norms of the Parking Policy 2.0 by Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) issued in 2020.  

Pre-owned vehicle showrooms

In J.P. Nagar II phase, a pre-owned car showroom has encroached parking space in front of residences and on footpaths, said Bharath S., an artiste. “This showroom and another one in the next street by the same owners came up four years ago near Ranga Shankara. Since then, it has been a problem for artistes and audiences. We have already had parking issues as a restobar nearby uses the streets around the theatre to park their customers’ cars, and now this pre-owned car showroom has taken up space. They even park on the footpaths, forcing pedestrians to walk on the road in this already busy street,” he said. 

Nikitha K., another artiste, said that many of them have gone collectively and asked the showroom owners to park the cars within their site and not outside. “However, they argue saying they have permission, and we can not question them. We have asked them to show permission certificate issued by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), but they keep denying,” Nikitha added. 

Similarly, a pre-owned car showroom in Banashankari has encroached footpaths and lanes said Bhagyaraj, a resident of the area. “Most of these secondhand car showrooms come up in areas that have a site under litigation. They put up a few metal pillars, a sheet roof and decided to start a business on the site. Our area has large footpaths and roads. But, they look cramped now because multiple cars are parked,” he explained.  

In December 2020, the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) introduced Parking Policy 2.0, which had to be implemented by the BBMP. The policy introduced a permit system, which effectively means you must pay to use the public space in front of your home.

In December 2020, the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) introduced Parking Policy 2.0, which had to be implemented by the BBMP. The policy introduced a permit system, which effectively means you must pay to use the public space in front of your home.
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu

Travel companies and cabs 

Another issue that has been a frequent hindrance to commuters and pedestrians is several cars and buses parked in a row on both narrow and broad lanes, some in unexpected spaces. “There is a space under the flyover in Kumarakrupa road, that has something like a garden area and a couple of seats or benches for anyone who would like to rest. But on most days the whole space under this flyover is filled with cars of cab drivers and bikes of delivery boys. There are traffic police standing in the same junction, but they never act,” said a nearby resident. 

Suresh Kumar, a resident of Subramanyapura, said that the road next to the Subramanyapura lake always has several buses of travel companies parked. “This is usually in the night and continues till late morning. A minimum of five buses stand next to the road beside the lake, right next to the footpath. This narrows down the road and cuts short the space of half the lane. It is difficult for pedestrians to use the footpath and they can not cross the roads with the buses covering the view. Many men pass urine behind these buses making it unbearable to walk next to them, and women walking inside the lake premises feel very uncomfortable,” he said.

On the other hand, a travel company owner who preferred to stay anonymous said that parking has become an issue for them too, forcing them to park at public spaces. “Initially we would park at our office and on the street in front of it. But over the last five years so many residences have come up and every house has at least two cars. If we ask them to move, they say the space is meant for residents and not for businesses. We had found an alternate lane near Jayanagar, but then KSRTC buses started parking there. Now, the only option we have is to park in areas on the outskirts of the city or on bigger lanes within the city like the outer ring roads, spaces next to metro stations and flyovers. If BBMP can make a designated paid parking service for private buses, it will really help a lot,” he explained.  

The parking policy

In December 2020, the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) introduced the Parking Policy 2.0, which had to be implemented by the BBMP. This policy is supposed to be the guidebook governing how city streets are used for parking, it also proposes many steps to fix the parking issues. 

The policy introduced a permit system, which effectively means you must pay to use the public space in front of your home. The annual fee for the permit had been fixed at ₹1,000 for small cars, ₹4,000 for medium cars and ₹5,000 for MUVs/SUVs. An applicant can get a permit for only one vehicle. The permit will be issued as long as parking does not disturb the movement of emergency vehicles. Even then, the permit does not “guarantee” a free spot but only authorises the holder to park his/her vehicle as long as he or she is a resident of the road and can prove that he/she lives in a building that doesn’t violate the approved plans and zonal regulations.

The policy also stated that Road Transport Corporations (RTC) and private operators may park the buses within their own premises. The policy said that a fee equivalent to two to three times the on-street full-day parking fee of three car spaces prevailing in that area shall be levied on all operators including RTCs, and private operators for parking within the public roadway or street limits.  

Four years and no action 

Though the policy was introduced four years ago, the BBMP has not implied the policy across the city. According to a BBMP official The Hindu spoke to, the policy has many limitations. “There is a lot of resistance from stakeholders, especially in the CBD areas. We also do not have enough infrastructure to implement all that is there in the Parking Policy 2.0. We plan to introduce a smart parking policy. We have called for tender thrice, but there has been no response. There are discussions that on-street parking should be completely banned, but again it is something a lot of residents and businesses are against. We are working with DULT to tweak and implement the policy, and it will be implemented soon,” he explained.  

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