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With large crowds expected across central Bengaluru for New Year’s Eve celebrations, city police have announced extensive traffic restrictions, diversions and parking bans from the evening of December 31, 2025, until the early hours of January 1, 2026. Key areas including MG Road, Brigade Road, Church Street, Residency Road, St Mark’s Road and surrounding localities will be under the tightest controls.
Police said the measures are aimed at ensuring smooth traffic flow and pedestrian safety as thousands are expected to gather in popular celebration hubs across the city.
From 8 pm on December 31 to 2 am on January 1, all vehicles, except those belonging to police and emergency services, will be barred from entering major stretches of MG Road, Brigade Road, Church Street, Residency Road, Museum Road, Rest House Road and Residency Cross Road. Parking will also be prohibited on these roads and nearby streets from 4 pm on December 31 until 3 am the next day.
Vehicle owners have been asked to remove parked vehicles by 4 pm, failing which penalties will be imposed. On Brigade Road, pedestrian movement will be regulated and allowed only in one direction – from the MG Road junction towards Opera House Junction.
As part of traffic diversions, vehicles travelling from Queen’s Circle towards Halasuru must divert at Anil Kumble Circle, while those heading from Halasuru towards Cantonment will be routed via Trinity Circle and Dickenson Road.
Limited parking will be available on Kamaraj Road and at the Shivajinagar BMTC Complex. Designated pick-up and drop-off points for cabs and autorickshaws have been set up near BRV Junction, CTO Junction, Cubbon Road, Cubbon Park Metro Station and Trinity Circle. Additional parking facilities will be available at UB City, Garuda Mall and select stretches of Kamaraj Road.
In Koramangala, traffic will be restricted on YD Math Road up to Microland Junction, including adjoining roads such as JNC Road and 17th H Main. Vehicles coming from Adugodi and Madiwala will have to avoid the UCO Bank turn and take alternative routes via Madiwala Checkpost, Water Tank Junction and Krupanidhi Junction.
Parking will not be permitted on 80 Feet Road and Someshwara Temple Road. The BBMP grounds near Munireddy Kalyana Mantap and Bethany School have been earmarked as parking areas. Pick-up and drop-off points have been arranged at UCO Bank Service Road, NGV Backgate and Sukhasagar Junction.
Around major malls such as Mall of Asia, Phoenix Mall and Orion Mall, parking will be banned on adjoining service roads and arterial routes, including Ballari Road service lane, Dr Rajkumar Road and West of Chord Road. Clearly marked cab and autorickshaw stands will be available near these malls. BMTC has also arranged special buses and tempo traveller services from Mall of Asia and Phoenix Mall to destinations including Majestic, Mysuru Road Satellite Bus Stand, Mekhri Circle, Hebbal and Hoskote.
In Indiranagar, parking will be prohibited on both sides of 100 Feet Road, 12th Main Road and several stretches of ITPL Main Road, including areas near Hoodi Metro Station and Medicover Hospital. BMTC buses and tempo travellers will be allowed to park on 17th Main Road and near BM Shree Junction. Cab pick-up and drop-off points have been designated at Lowry Junction, Aster Hospital and BM Shree Junction.
Enforcement across the city will be significantly intensified. A total of 166 drunk-driving checkpoints will be set up, while 92 locations will be monitored to prevent wheeling, stunt riding and rash driving. Fifty flyovers will be closed during night hours to curb overspeeding. Police will deploy 10 drones, 249 Cobra vehicles and 400 traffic wardens as part of the New Year security plan.
All city flyovers, except the airport flyover, will remain closed from 11 pm to 6 am. Two-wheelers will not be permitted on the airport flyover between 10 pm and 6 am. Heavy vehicles will be diverted away from the central business district from 8 pm onwards. Police have urged the public to rely on Namma Metro, BMTC, KSRTC, autorickshaws and cab services instead of personal vehicles.
Appealing for responsible celebrations, the Bengaluru Traffic Police have advised revellers to ensure that at least one person in every group remains sober if alcohol is consumed. Strict action will be taken against drunk driving, overspeeding and stunt riding. Citizens have been encouraged to report violations by calling the police emergency number 112.
Meanwhile, the CCB’s Narcotics Control Wing arrested two drug peddlers, including a foreign national, in separate operations ahead of New Year’s Eve. Police seized 1.07 kg of MDMA crystals, 60 ecstasy pills, 100 LSD strips, 5 grams of cocaine, along with electronic gadgets and Rs 2 lakh in cash, collectively valued at Rs 2.5 crore.
The first arrest, made in Soladevanahalli, involved a foreign national who had entered India on a business visa and was allegedly sourcing MDMA from contacts in Delhi and Mumbai. Police said he had a previous case under the NDPS Act and had resumed drug peddling after his release. In a separate case in Bandepalya, an interstate peddler working as an Amazon delivery executive was arrested for allegedly sourcing LSD and cocaine from unidentified suppliers and selling them at high margins.
Senior police officials said both cases have been registered under the NDPS Act and that the crackdown is part of intensified efforts to curb the circulation of party drugs during the festive season.