He said the corporation had initially identified 100 roads for smart parking and called for tenders but finalised contracts only for 23 routes. There has been limited response for the remaining 77 roads despite three rounds of tendering, prompting officials to consider implementing smart parking directly through the corporation on those stretches. The scheme is intended to be introduced only on arterial and sub-arterial roads.
The parking fee will be set according to the length of the parking space, the location and other operational factors, and the system is expected to prevent overnight or permanent parking on public roads. The Greater Bengaluru Authority has published a draft policy that must be approved by the government after the objection period, and further roll-out is planned to depend on regulatory clearance and early performance on the initial roads.
Once in place, vehicle users will be able to locate available smart parking bays through a mobile application and pay for short-term parking, while enforcement will be automated. Officials noted that although there is a plan to extend the system to a further 73 roads, there has been little tender participation for those stretches because bidders anticipate financial loss. Some of the routes included in the initial phase are Commercial Street, Dickenson Road, Sampige Road and Malleswaram Railway Parallel Road.