Bangalore men who are rethinking public transport

What are the major concerns and reasons for the traffic problems the city is facing today?

Sreehari: Bangalore has transformed from a village to a town and now to a city with narrow roads. Therefore, we need to plan infrastructure projects keeping in mind the new Bangalore. We also need to take cues from cities like Delhi and Greater Mumbai. The personal transport today amounts to 38 lakh plying on Bangalore’s roads. Almost everybody wants to use his or her own vehicle. To check this trend, driving licence rules have to be made tougher. Vehicle registration should not be an easy job. Public transport vehicles should be given priority.

Muralidhar: The issue is not about owning a vehicle. The use of individualised modes of transport has to be curbed. A study by Dr Madhav Badami, an urban planning expert, says that in Asian cities, the individualised modes of transport are largely used for commuting to work, college, etc. Most of the time, these vehicles remain idle. About 60% of the traffic belongs to this category. People from this category can switch to public transport if it offers good facilities. And there lies the issue. The BMTC’s monopoly is the cause of all problems. The government has to extend arrangements like the BIG 10 services to the private sector. Let all the routes identified for BIG10 be under the government and the feeder services put under private sector. The government has to play the role of a regulator rather than service provider.

Shyju: The government has come up with initiatives to promote public transport. But there is a gap between the government’s efforts and its benefits reaching the people. The Bus Day is one such initiative undertaken to ensure that more people use public transport. There are a few people who do use it. But most of them are still worried about things like how to catch the bus, the waiting time at the bus stop etc. Putting together a product is one thing and marketing it is another. Years of experience have left a negative attitude among people towards public transport. To change this, more facilities are needed to attract them. About 12,000 wheels ply on the IT corridor in an hour. Even if 30 techies keep their cars off the road by using bus, it can lead to a reduction in traffic chaos.

Vishwanath: I beg to differ. Traffic is not the problem here. The real problem is people’s lack of discipline. There is a communication gap between the government and the public. All of us should ask ourselves how much we have encouraged our family and friends to use public transport. The government is doing its bit through various initiatives like the Bus Day. We have to work as a team to push this idea forward. There are a lot of people doing good work in the BMTC. But there are many others too who are opposed to what can be done. With regard to car pooling, as manager of an IT company, I see a divide between organisations. A person from one company does not pick up someone from another company. An employee travelling to a particular campus should pick anyone from the same campus irrespective of which company he or she may be working for. There has to be an IT policy which says so. Even a BMTC bus which carries 10 people to their workplaces should carry all those travelling to the same point together. The rule has to apply to everybody. Those who are at the top should lead by example.

Ashwin: There are three problems involved. The first one is linked to integration. There is no integrated planning involving the traffic police, BMTC, BDA, BBMP and private companies. There is no environment in which all of these elements come together. BDA approves of corner plots because it is profitable, the BMTC plies mostly on arterial roads to make more profits. These planning powers should be taken away from them and vested in a single authority. 
The second problem is related to metrics. Keeping the BMTC’s profits high should not be above improvement of public transportation. Without metrics, you don’t know how much is achieved out of the set target. Therefore, measuring growth can help check the inconsistency. The third problem is linked to competence. Not all planning authorities have specific knowledge which involves land use, spatial planning, optimisation, analytical capability, urban design, etc.

Sood: Traffic chaos is not the problem of the traffic police alone. It is a collective issue which also involves the BDA, BMTC, Railways, National Highway Authority, BESCOM, and BWSSB. The public too plays a significant role. Unfortunately, for the common man, the traffic policeman is the reason for road chaos. Basic principle of economics applies to traffic issues too. Unless we increase the supply, in terms of the number of flyovers, roads, etc, nothing will help. There should be a check on infrastructure developments too. If we plan a project to accommodate 30 lakh vehicles but the project is completed only after 10 years, it’s useless as the vehicle population must have doubled by this time.
It’s the responsibility of the traffic police to ensure that green time is not wasted at any of the junctions. Nobody should be stopped if they have committed a traffic offence. The system should use technology to get the evidence and then look at punishing them. This evidence-based traffic enforcement, however, is still a long way for us. Collecting money on the road, as is done now, is an inefficient way of managing traffic. But this is to be done because of the total absence of a computerised system.

Do you think people are aware of traffic rules? Is lack of awareness the biggest problem?

Sreehari: The city has a large number of literates and they are the largest group of violators. A traffic policeman is not a requirement if everybody educates himself of the traffic rules and follows them. But the order of the day is a policeman for every person.

Sood: There is a notion that any person from a rural area is ignorant and, therefore, is the one who violates traffic rules. But this is not true. They are the ones who comply once they get to know what they should or should not do. The urban motorists, on the other hand, question the cops who catch them and deny they are on the wrong side.

Ashwin: There is a need to get away from behaviour modification to process modification. Fundamentally, there is no system that follows all rules. The registration of a vehicle should be made an annual affair. A process should be brought in whereby people come and register their vehicle every year. This brings in accountability. But the government does not make this happen because it is profitable to collect road tax in bulk rather than at the end the year.

Shyju: But putting together a process is a painful job and nobody wants to do it. As regards behavioural pattern, people are prone to herd mentality. If there is a sign that says, ‘don’t use this road’, and motorists are still using it, you too do the same. Here people park their vehicles in any available space.

Is parking enforcement an important concern with regard to traffic etiquette?

Ashwin: Parking enforcement is another major issue which today has become a contactor racket. It is a problem much ignored and there are too many vested interests.

Sood: There cannot be a change by asking people not to do something. Instead, a solution has to be provided in its place. Parking enforcement is inherently connected to parking availability. A policy decision to make paid parking mandatory can bring in discipline and make people switch from private to public transport.

How well is technology working to help curb traffic? Are people aware of the changes happening in traffic control?

Sood: There is no doubt that this problem can be tackled with the use of technology. Manpower is always in shortage and, therefore, should be replaced by technology. But in our country, people adhere to traffic rules only if they see a cop at the signal. About 70% of the traffic police are concentrated at the signals, which is a sheer waste of manpower. If the traffic rules are followed and cops are relocated to residential areas, they can do wonders. Wherever there is a camera, even if there is not a cop around, people are following the rules. Technology is of great use but is no substitute to other infrastructural facilities like roads. Saving green time and changing motorists’ behavioural pattern are possible only through technology.

Ashwin: We do not have any data on mobility pattern in the city. For this, technology is needed.

Shyju: Today, people know about car pooling. We have 14,000 registered users. But we don’t know how many are using it. Many feel secure in sharing it with only people from the same company. We encourage people to register on to the site. Of about 1,800 people who register on the site, more than 1,000 people go in for car pooling.

Ashwin: But too much of car pooling is not a healthy sign as it is indicative of the failure of our system. Therefore, we have to come up with work clusters (smart work centres) in parts of the city. Measuring the number of people doing car pooling is not indicative of success.

Shyju: We can find a solution to traffic problems when the administration and the people come together and make a collective effort. But the media can play a role by focusing on positive stories of citizens and cops who help in easing traffic congestion.

Sood: The media should highlight the good rather than the bad.  Traffic police and citizens, who volunteer as traffic wardens, should be highlighted by the media. This can inspire others to follow their example.

Ashwin: The media should not just describe the problem but go to its roots. They must also try to find probable solutions.