K.R. Market Smart Parking Route Leaves Avenue Road Vendors Struggling

Street vendors outside K.R. Market in Bengaluru have reported a sharp decline in business and severe space constraints following the installation of barricades on Avenue Road for a smart parking facility.

The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) revamped the parking infrastructure over the past three months, creating a dedicated entry route that halved the width of Avenue Road. While the dedicated lane eliminated prolonged vehicle queues entering the facility, it pushed small vendors into cramped spaces behind steel barricades.

Flower vendor Asha said moving behind the barricades has left vendors with barely enough space to sit, making them feel isolated while visitors walk past without noticing their goods. Radha, who has sold flowers outside the market for two decades, noted that customers who previously paused along the entrance now drive directly into the parking area and head straight inside the main complex.

Business owners have also pointed to parking costs and surrounding civil works as factors driving shoppers away. G.M. Divakar, president of the K.R. Market Flowers Merchants’ Association, said the paid parking system has affected footfall and added a monthly expense of around ₹2,000 for shop employees. He also cited the recent clearance and demolition of 180 shops opposite the market as a blow to customer traffic.

Fruit vendor Santhosha Chandrashekar stated that the cleared shops had operated for over 30 years. With several items no longer available and parking fees adding expenses for middle- and lower-class visitors, fewer people are visiting. Ongoing civic works across more than four stretches around the market have compounded traffic congestion in the area.

A senior GBA engineer defended the changes, stating that barricading ensures seamless vehicular movement and an organised system that will ultimately boost footfall. The official noted that parking fees of ₹15 per hour for two-wheelers and ₹30 per hour for cars match standard city rates. The authority is also in talks to redevelop the 9,000-square-foot second floor of the market to accommodate more shops and concretise premises for better vending demarcation.

Vendors, however, maintain that barricading a public roadway to facilitate access to the parking facility has unfairly curtailed their livelihoods.