Bengaluru Traffic Woes: Government Plans New Parking Policy

Bengaluru is infamous for its traffic jams, ranking as the world's sixth-slowest city in terms of traffic speed. The city's traffic woes lead to an annual loss of Rs 19,725 crore due to delays. To tackle this persistent problem, the Karnataka government is planning to introduce a dedicated parking policy for vehicles.

The Traffic Situation

Bengaluru's traffic jams are almost a daily ordeal. A recent study revealed that traveling 10 kilometers in the city took an average of 28 minutes and 10 seconds in 2023. The state's home minister, G Parameshwara, highlighted this issue at the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday. He proposed a short-term and long-term parking policy aimed at decongesting the city.

Proposed Solutions

During Question Hour, Minister Parameshwara said the plan would be discussed with the transport department and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), among other stakeholders. He emphasized that the traffic problem in Bengaluru cannot be resolved by the police alone.

Parking is a significant issue in Bengaluru due to narrow roads and vehicles parked in no-parking zones, causing further traffic chaos. The minister noted, “The traffic issue in Bengaluru is unique. There is no policy or infrastructure to handle the number of vehicles we have. Vehicles are often parked on both sides of roads, making it difficult for others to pass. We need a clear policy for this.”

Policy Details and Enforcement

The proposed parking policy may include heavy fines and designated parking areas to deter vehicle owners from going against no-parking rules. Minister Parameshwara hopes that strict enforcement of these rules will help decongest the city. In recent years, fines for parking violations have increased significantly. In 2022, over 12 lakh vehicle owners were fined more than ₹20 crore. In 2023, fines increased to over ₹37 crore in 11 lakh cases. This year, more than five lakh cases have already been recorded, with over ₹5 crore collected in fines.

However, the minister acknowledged that merely collecting fines is not enough to solve Bengaluru's traffic problems. “So far, we have just been fining or towing vehicles," he said, adding that this has not significantly eased congestion.

Current Traffic Statistics

A recent report by TomTom showed that the average speed in Bengaluru is just 18 kmph, making it slower than any other Indian city. Bengaluru has around 23 lakh private cars and adds approximately 2,000 new vehicles every day. The city loses Rs 19,725 crore annually due to traffic delays, congestion, stoppages at signals, time loss, fuel loss, and related factors.

The proposed parking policy aims to address these issues by creating a more structured and regulated parking system, ultimately helping to reduce traffic congestion and improve the overall flow of vehicles in Bengaluru.