No More Free Street Parking in Bengaluru? Residents May Soon Pay To Park Vehicles Outside Their Own Gates

Bengaluru, February 11: Residents in Bengaluru may soon be required to pay an annual fee to park their vehicles on the streets outside their own homes. The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) is reportedly finalising a new parking policy aimed at de-congesting city roads and generating revenue. Under the proposed rules, owning a vehicle and parking it on a public road, even directly in front of a private gate, would necessitate a paid permit, moving away from the city's long-standing culture of free street parking.

The initiative comes as Bengaluru struggles with record-breaking vehicle density and increasingly narrow navigable road space. According to the draft policy, the city will be divided into different zones, with permit costs varying based on the location and the type of vehicle. While the policy is intended to encourage residents to create dedicated parking spaces within their private properties, it has already sparked a debate regarding the rights of taxpayers over public infrastructure. Bengaluru Power Cut: Parts of City To Witness Power Outage on February 10, 11; Check Timings and List of Affected Areas.

Bengaluru Parking Policy: Zonal Fees and Permit Structures

The proposed fee structure is expected to be tiered. Residents in "A" zones, typically high-demand or central business districts, will likely face higher permit costs compared to those in quieter residential suburbs.

Preliminary reports suggest that the permits will be issued on an annual basis. Vehicle owners would be required to display a specific sticker or digital permit to avoid fines or towing by the traffic police and civic marshals. Bengaluru: Woman Moves Court Against Husband for Not Buying Body Lotion.

The Target: De-congesting Residential Streets

A primary objective of the GBA is to clear "dead storage" on roads, vehicles that remain parked in the same spot for days or weeks. By putting a price on street parking, the civic body hopes to discourage multi-vehicle ownership among households that do not have adequate private garage space.

Officials have noted that parked cars often obstruct emergency vehicles, such as ambulances and fire engines, in narrow residential lanes. The new policy would theoretically ensure that only those with active permits occupy these vital spaces.

Challenges in Implementation

Enforcement remains the biggest hurdle for the civic body. Bengaluru has thousands of cross-roads and lanes where monitoring every parked vehicle would require a massive increase in personnel or advanced tech-based surveillance, such as ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras.

There is also the question of "guest parking." The current draft primarily focuses on long-term residential permits, but how the city will handle visitors or temporary parking in residential areas remains a point of clarification that residents are eagerly awaiting.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 11, 2026 08:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).