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

Parking is an issue faced by many areas in Bengaluru which were once quiet residential localities. With 1.16 crore vehicles in Bengaluru as on 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 a common site these days, breaking many norms of the Parking Policy 2.0 by Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) issued in 2020.  

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.  

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.  

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.