To combat Bengaluru’s worsening traffic woes, the state government has rolled out a multi-pronged strategy involving the reintroduction of towing vehicles and regulation of street vendors. Despite being suggested six months ago for 22 key corridors, the towing plan had seen no action—until now. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has finally given it the go-ahead.
Illegal parking has long clogged the city’s arteries. In just four years, over 16 lakh cases of wrong parking were booked by traffic police, highlighting a persistent violation pattern. In 2021 alone, 4.2 lakh violations were recorded, with similar figures in the following years. Authorities believe towing can deter illegal parking and free up road space, especially at intersections and on footpaths.
With average traffic speeds dipping to just 18 kmph, officials cite unregulated parking, broken roads, and lack of enforcement as key bottlenecks. Towing is expected to act as both a punitive and preventive measure.
Simultaneously, the government is addressing pedestrian safety by regulating street vendors. Over 27,665 vendors have been registered and will be confined to designated vending zones. To streamline operations, four standardized vending vehicle designs have been proposed, and tenders for procurement are already underway. Around 3,800 vendors have also applied for pushcarts.
Further, the government is pushing for the merging of service roads with main roads near Metro construction zones and aims to digitise property records for better urban management.
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