BENGALURU: While parking remains a major challenge in Bengaluru, BBMP’s Multi-Level Car Parking (MLCP) facilities across the city, including those on JC Road and the one recently opened at Freedom Park, remain largely unused. As BBMP explores ways to boost usage, the ‘low occupancy’ raises broader questions about the need for such facilities, especially with all MLCPs in the city facing similar issues.
Raghavendra P, a worker at the Freedom Park MLCP mentioned that the problem is especially evident during evenings and weekends when these spaces are almost entirely empty. “Many motorists continue to park illegally, without considering using the MLCPs,” he said, pointing out that the facility is only making Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000 daily, far below expectations.
Mobility Expert Professor Ashish Verma, who also heads the transportation engineering research lab at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), highlighted that MLCPs are not sustainable solutions to traffic congestion.
He explained that such infrastructure projects often fail because of lack of location review. “If the MLCP location does not offer connections to key areas, it will only encourage greater use of personal vehicles, which eventually spill onto the roads, making traffic conditions worse,” he said, adding that simply providing more parking spaces encourages people to continue using private vehicles rather than shifting to public transport or other alternatives.
Professor Verma highlighted that the government must evaluate whether an area actually needs an MLCP. “For example, if an MLCP is placed in a congested area like Freedom Park or JC Road, but people need to travel to another congested area like Chickpet with no proper connectivity, the facility will be pointless. Without proper links to key areas, the MLCP will likely be underused or abandoned,” he highlighted.
The expert stressed that unless policies are designed to promote connectivity and prioritise mobility options, these measures will only worsen the problem. What’s needed, he argued, is a comprehensive mobility strategy that reduces dependence on private cars and focuses on improving public transport and other sustainable solutions.
Parking problems should be solved by demand management interventions - managing how many people need parking - rather than supply side interventions like creating more parking spaces. The real issue is traffic movement, so focusing on reducing the number of cars on the road and encouraging better public transportation options is key, the mobility expert added.
Highlighting about the Freedom Park MLCP, Trade activist Sajjan Raj Mehta explained that people who visit areas like Chickpet and BVK Iyengar Road, which are wholesale markets, usually come empty-handed and leave with large items.
“If the shoppers have to find another mode of transport just to reach their respective vehicle, why would anyone waste their time and money?” he questioned, adding that the business at the MLCP is likely to decline. BBMP officials stated they are in talks about how to make better use of the space, and increase the usage of all MLCPs throughout the city.