As Bengaluru prepares to tighten enforcement against illegal and haphazard parking, civic authorities are turning to an unconventional solution—using private and vacant land to address the city’s growing parking shortage.
The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has proposed changes to the city’s parking policy aimed at creating more off-street parking facilities in busy commercial and high-traffic areas. The draft proposals are currently awaiting government approval.
New plan focuses on increasing parking supply
Officials say the city’s immediate challenge is the widening gap between parking demand and available space.
Under the proposed policy, private property owners could be encouraged to make their land available for parking through incentives and revenue-sharing arrangements. The GBA is also identifying vacant plots near congested roads and commercial hubs that can be converted into temporary or long-term parking facilities.
Where feasible, land may be acquired through Transferable Development Rights (TDR), while in other cases the authorities may lease properties and use parking revenue to offset costs.
Vacant plots under consideration
One such site identified by Bengaluru West City Corporation is a vacant plot near Malleswaram 18th Cross that is currently under litigation and lying unused.
Officials are exploring the possibility of using the land for public parking until the legal dispute is resolved. Compensation or TDR would later be provided to the rightful owner once the case reaches a conclusion.
Similar efforts are underway in Bengaluru South, where officials have been directed to identify both government-owned and private vacant plots suitable for parking infrastructure.
Strict parking enforcement ahead
The move comes as the city’s five corporations, along with Bengaluru Traffic Police, prepare to introduce stricter on-street parking regulations and expand paid parking zones.
Officials say many city roads are too narrow to accommodate extensive roadside parking, making off-street facilities essential for improving traffic flow and reducing congestion.
Apart from private plots, authorities are also evaluating unused government land beneath flyovers and open public spaces that could be repurposed as parking areas.
With vehicle numbers continuing to rise, civic authorities believe expanding parking infrastructure will be crucial to tackling one of Bengaluru’s most persistent urban challenges.