Bengaluru, Aug 31 (PTI) Around 60 per cent of Bengaluru’s road space is occupied by parked vehicles, worsening traffic congestion, Karnataka Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said on Monday.
Calling for urgent action, the Greater Bengaluru development minister said the government should consider appointing a dedicated agency to regulate and enforce parking rules, as the existing civic and police workforce was inadequate for the task.
“Unless people develop a sense of self-discipline, it will be impossible to find a solution to Bengaluru’s traffic problem,” Gowda said at a meeting with former mayors at Vidhana Soudha here.
He said building more roads alone would not resolve the city’s traffic crisis, as vehicles were routinely parked on both sides of even narrow roads, restricting traffic movement and reducing the effective capacity of existing roads.
“Whatever government comes to power, we build roads and yet continue to face public criticism. This cannot be solved simply by building more roads,” he said, stressing that better use of existing road space and disciplined parking were essential.
Systematic parking regulation could significantly reduce the daily inconvenience faced by commuters, he said.
In a statement, the Greater Bengaluru Authority said the minister also called for greater use of micro-mobility for journeys of up to two kilometres, but said this would require usable footpaths and effective parking controls.
“We are already working to clear and restore footpaths. But micro-mobility cannot succeed without parking regulation,” he said.
Gowda said enforcing parking discipline through the civic administration and police would require additional manpower. Since the existing workforce was insufficient, he proposed appointing a dedicated agency to implement and enforce parking regulations across the city.
The minister raised concerns over widespread violations of building and civic regulations.
He said Bengaluru had seen a growing disregard for basic rules, including unauthorised changes to sewer lines and inadequate parking provision in residential buildings.
“People change sewer lines without following the rules and do not leave adequate space for parking in their own homes. Yet we continue to tolerate such behaviour. How long can this go on?” he asked.
Stricter enforcement of laws and regulations was unavoidable if Bengaluru was to address its chronic civic problems, he said.
On solid waste management, Gowda said the government had made it mandatory for all vehicles transporting construction and demolition waste to be registered and fitted with GPS.
He said C&D waste must be deposited only at designated facilities and that five locations had been identified for the purpose, with compliance being enforced.
The former mayors offered several suggestions for improving Bengaluru’s civic infrastructure and day-to-day administration.
They recommended developing and improving cremation and burial grounds, adopting scientific and durable methods to repair potholes instead of temporary fixes, and strengthening measures to address the city’s garbage and waste-management problems. PTI AMP SSK
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