SPOTLIGHT: Solving Bengaluru’s parking puzzle

Explore Bengaluru's paid parking initiative and its impact on traffic, commuting choices, and urban planning challenges.

Since October 2025, Anish (name changed), a private company employee, has been spending an additional ₹1,800 every month just to park his two-wheeler on M.G. Road. The return of paid parking on one of the busiest stretches in Bengaluru, after a lull of nearly two years, has quietly altered his monthly budget.

In contrast, his colleague Navya R., who commutes from Yelahanka, has switched to public transport. While the shift has helped her save some money, it comes with its own challenges: longer travel time and poor last-mile connectivity.

For Anish, however, public transport is not an option. His job involves fieldwork, and his motorcycle remains essential.

This dilemma in daily commute choices may soon become common across Bengaluru. City corporations have floated tenders to implement paid parking on more than 30 road stretches as part of a pilot project, signalling a broader push to monetise public spaces and regulate on-street parking.

According to the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP), 291 major road stretches across the city currently allow free parking. Of these, 52 roads have been identified as suitable for the introduction of paid parking. If the pilot project yields the desired results, officials say the system could be expanded citywide. If everything goes as planned, by the start of April, paid parking system will be in place across the city.

Karthik Reddy, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), said the list was prepared after considering factors such as traffic flow, availability of space, and public convenience. A Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) official added that the corporations have further filtered these stretches and floated tenders for implementation, in line with Parking Policy 2.0 drafted by the Directorate of Urban Land and Transport (DULT).