Bengaluru’s busiest and most popular destination, Malleshwaram, will witness a significant change in parking practices. For years, everyone parked their car and bicycle on teeming roads around the town without cost. That's one of the reasons the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has decided to establish a Pay and Park system in Malleshwaram. The measure is designed to ease congestion, manage traffic and make the city’s revenue.
The system will take effect first on Malleshwaram 18th Cross Road, a part of the shopping district that takes precedence over traffic. It will later widen to 15th Road, 11th Road and Sampige Road. Heavy traffic, particularly at crowded shopping areas, fills those roads. Parking space has always been a challenge, since thousands of people come to town on a daily basis. The BBMP believes that new paid parking will lead to discipline and deter arbitrary roadside parking as well as no longer encourage random vehicles at the roadside.
People once parked their cars for free on the streets. The result was chaos, double parking and traffic jams. The BBMP has now called for tenders to roll out the Pay and Park system throughout the city. The plan is not even confined to Malleshwaram as it turns out. A city council in Bengaluru will be implementing paid parking on 35 major arterials as well as in central and western areas. The goal is to control parking and avoid taking up a lot of public space which can result in flow issues between those cars or vehicles. The new system will have fixed charges:
- The charge for two-wheelers will be ₹15 per hour or ₹75 across the day.
- The fee will be ₹30 per hour for automobiles or ₹150 for the entire day.
A monthly pass system will also be available for monthly visitors. Two-wheeler owners can buy their pass for ₹1,500 a month, and car owners can purchase it for ₹3,000 a month. They will offer a way to encourage shopkeepers, employees and inhabitants who often park in the neighborhood to use this option.
In the eyes of many, the shift was a little more of a burden. Malleshwaram has always had a free-parking system and residents have no problem parking along the road without paying. Now they will likely bear an additional payment for parking. Costs for shoppers, office-goers and casual visitors will therefore need to be anticipated. But according to the BBMP, the system will give order to the streets. The civic body hopes to discourage parking and ease congestion by charging a fee.
The Pay and Park system does not just stop at Malleshwaram. BBMP has already said that it will be expanded to 35 roads in the central business district and any other busy areas. That is also to put one foot in dense traffic, shopping centres, commerce. The western part of Bengaluru is also getting ready to roll out the system. If it works, the model will be rolled out to other parts of the city.
The announcement has elicited mixed responses. The charges are too high and, some residents and shopkeepers say, will deter customers from going to Malleshwaram. That system has been seen by others as needed to stem the growing congestion problem. Most commuters believe the roads have already got stretched, and a regulated parking policy could help. Regular visitors had embraced the monthly pass option, but felt that it could bring down the rates.
Malleshwaram, a city with teeming malls and busy streets, is on the verge of the new chapter of its Pay and Park system. For some daily visitors who might think it is expensive, it will only be disciplined and to the point, this will help to reduce congestion and improve control of traffic. The BBMP is trying to strike that balance between convenience and regulation with fixed hourly/daily, monthly passes. With growth in Bengaluru, this could then apply across the metropolis. That means for now, Malleshwaram denizens and footfall will need to be ready to pay for parking and settle into a new paradigm.
