Bengaluru: Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has initiated a pay-and-park system on major roads in the city, beginning with 42 stretches in Jayanagar. The first phase will cover 31.7km of road network and provide designated parking space for 914 cars and 3,835 two-wheelers.The move comes amid growing concerns over unscientific parking practices that reduced effective carriageway width across commercial corridors. With Bengaluru’s vehicle population nearing 1.5 crore within the 800 sqkm GBA limits — in addition to thousands entering the city daily from neighbouring districts — civic authorities said regulating on-street parking is no longer optional. GBA chief commissioner Maheshwar Rao said the initiative is designed to bring discipline rather than burden residents. “The objective is to streamline parking on high-density commercial roads. This is not a revenue-first measure; it is a traffic management intervention. Residential streets are not part of this phase,” Rao said. He added that structured parking will help reclaim road space, improve pedestrian safety and reduce friction between motorists and enforcement agencies. Officials clarified that tenders were floated zone-wise, with Central, South, East and North corporations identifying priority corridors. Earlier attempts in core areas such as MG Road and Church Street needed re-tendering after limited bidder response. A senior GBA planning official said surveys revealed that in several commercial pockets, parked vehicles occupy up to 40% of available road width during peak hours. “Without priced parking, there is no turnover. Vehicles are left for hours, reducing access for shoppers and increasing congestion. Paid parking ensures rotation and better utilisation,” the official explained.Officials acknowledged that earlier smart parking initiatives in select corridors were stopped, but maintained that lessons have been incorporated into the current model. The new system will be expanded in phases to BTM Layout, Bommanahalli and Padmanabhanagar after reviewing the response in Jayanagar, they added.
