Bengaluru’s white-topped roads to become paid parking zones amid vehicle surge

With over 1.2 crore vehicles choking Bengaluru’s roads, the Greater Bengaluru Authority is turning costly white-topped and TenderSURE roads into paid parking stretches to generate revenue and regulate parking.

The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) is set to roll out a new parking strategy that could change the way motorists use the city’s premium roads. White-topped roads and those built under TenderSURE and Smart City projects are being earmarked as paid parking zones, in a move that officials say is necessary to balance rising vehicle density with spiraling infrastructure costs.

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The decision was taken at a high-powered meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, with participation from senior officials across departments. The Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) noted that the city now has 1.2 crore registered vehicles, of which 82% are two-wheelers, creating unprecedented pressure on road space. Presently, 1,194 km of Bengaluru’s roads are marked as ‘no parking’ stretches, worsening the problem.

Officials pointed out that white-topped roads are expensive to build, Rs 12 crore per kilometre, nearly ten times the cost of conventional roads. With around 150 km already white-topped in areas such as Indiranagar 100 Ft Road, RT Nagar, Sampige Road, Kalyan Nagar, and Majestic, these stretches will be the first to come under the paid-parking scheme. Even large parts of the Outer Ring Road (ORR) from Kasturi Nagar to BEL Circle could be included, although many lack designated parking bays.

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The plan also includes providing 14 towing vehicles on rent to traffic police to tackle illegal parking. Officials say the new parking fee structure will be announced soon.

Meanwhile, Bengaluru is experimenting with structured parking solutions. At KR Market, a 10,000 sq. m basement once notorious for anti-social activities has been converted into a paid parking hub. Managed by Prince Royal Parking Solutions under a 10-year lease, the facility charges Rs 15 per hour for two-wheelers and Rs 25 per hour for cars, with day-long charges going up to Rs 85 and Rs 165 respectively.

Similarly, a multi-level car park in Gandhi Bazaar, built at a cost of Rs 22.31 crore, accommodates 124 cars across four floors and includes 25 retail shops at ground level. This facility, too, has been leased to Prince Royal Parking Solutions, generating Rs 15.5 lakh annually for the corporation.

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