The goal: Reduce Bengaluru's notorious traffic congestion

The new parking policy, which has put an end to free parking on Bengaluru's streets, is aimed at reducing the city's notorious traffic congestion.

"Parking is not a right. It's a facility that has to come with a cost as per the law. It's a shift that must happen to make the city sustainable," said V Manjula, Commissioner, Department of Urban Land Transport (DULT). "The aim is to discourage private vehicles and encourage public transport."

She said that her department would soon start working on a timeline to implement the policy. The plan is to start enforcing the policy within eight months in phases, she added.

"It means micro-level assessments. The DULT will involve external agencies to go into details, including congestion and inventory analysis," she said.

The plans also include details such as signage, real-time information, access control and other elements, which will be published for people’s feedback and finalised in consultation with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the traffic police.

Srinivas Alavilli, who is associated with the NGO Janaagraha, stressed that disincentivising private vehicles should go parallel with incentivising public transport. One way of doing this is reducing the BMTC fares and increasing its fleet.

He called for discussing the policy with the BBMP and involving elected representatives. He said a system should be introduced where the revenue from residential street parking fees is transferred to the ward committees, which should be given the responsibility of building pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.