Inside Bengaluru’s Gandhi Bazaar revamp: Order on paper, chaos on street

The pilot project that envisioned pedestrianisation, a hawking zone, and organised parking fell into disarray due to poor implementation and a lack of local enthusiasm. What does this mean to Bengaluru?

Gandhi Bazaar Main Road in Basavanagudi is one of Bengaluru’s oldest market stretches, with the city’s temple-town feel, eateries, and busy shopping lanes. It is a landmark where shopping, food and community life all meet, especially around places like Vidyarthi Bhavan, Bull Temple, and Bugle Rock.

Under the Gandhi Bazaar Market Street Redesign Project, led by the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) and implemented by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (now GBA), the plan was to make the stretch more pedestrian-friendly, improve traffic flow, and create organised vending spaces. The project cost is reported between Rs 24.88 crore and Rs 28 crore, with work starting at the end of 2022 and largely completed by early 2024.

The plan faced protests from traders and residents who feared loss of access and business. After pushback, the design incorporated clearer vending zones, loading bays and parking provisions. The final layout incorporated wider footpaths, designated hawking areas, cobblestone work and structured parking.

On paper, the design looks fine; it accommodates traffic flow, creates space for pedestrians, allows designated parking and gives vendors a defined place. But on the ground, the issues persist: haphazard parking, footpath encroachment, and unauthorised vendors without designated spaces, which reduce usable space and create congestion. 

Vendors are an integral part of the market and the designated spaces come as a boon to many street vendors, offering them a more organised place to operate.

A traffic personnel from Basavanagudi said, “Many are old timers, and it is difficult to ask them to park vehicles in the parking lots. We levy fines, but it’s a constant issue. Many problems, such as traffic jams and the ease of passage for walkers, will be resolved if people park properly. Since the metro is not very close, people depend on their vehicles.”

For vendors, the change has been mixed but somewhat stabilised. Nagalakshmi, a flower seller, said, “We fought for our place here when they took up development. It was not easy. The current arrangement is good; we have our space, shopkeepers have theirs, and walkers are happy. Continuous maintenance is the key to the longevity of the plan.”

Visitors see both sides. Aakanksh Kumar, 22, said, “I usually come here to shop and grab a dose at Vidyarthi Bhavan with my grandparents. There is a lot of scope to keep the place cleaner. I think today’s youth, like myself, would enjoy visiting this part of town and can vibe better than other parts of the city.”

A view of the multilevel parking facility on Gandhi Bazaar Main Road, aimed at easing congestion but seeing few users due to weak enforcement.

The larger question is whether this model can be replicated elsewhere in Bengaluru, given that this is the city’s first project to blend parking, a hawking zone, and pedestrianisation.

The design shows it is possible to balance pedestrians, vendors and traffic, but only if enforcement and maintenance keep pace. Without that, even a well-planned street can slip back into old patterns—this is the lesson the Gandhi Bazar experiment is teaching Bengaluru.

Signboards lie bent and broken near Tagore Park, near Gandhi Bazaar Main Road in Basavanagudi, Bengaluru.

Vehicles occupy the widened footpath, forcing pedestrians onto the road, with weak enforcement parking has gone unchecked.