Bangalore is one of the fastest growing cities in Asia with a population of 81.11 lakh and more than 38.46 lakh vehicles (almost one vehicle for every second person on an average).
Bangalore is one of the fastest growing cities in Asia with a population of 81.11 lakh and more than 38.46 lakh vehicles (almost one vehicle for every second person on an average). About 1.62 lakh new vehicles are added to the city roads every year.
The road width has not grown in proportion to vehicle growth, which leads to congestion, delays and accidents. Every day, more than 30 accidents occur of which 21 victims are injured and two are killed. The economic loss due to traffic jams and accidents is huge. A rough estimate indicates losses amounting to Rs1,550 crore annually of which Rs650 crore is due to delays, congestion etc., while Rs900 crore represents accidents costs.
Some of the following measures can ease traffic if they are taken up seriously.
Short-term measures like one-ways, grade separators, and underpasses can give immediate but temporary relief, considering the heavy impact of vehicles adding up annually. Certain policy decisions must be taken up in regulating the growth. To enforce the overgrowth of vehicles, more buses should be introduced within the 5-km radius of the city with Vidhana Soudha as the focal point. There should be curbs on individual transport in the form of congestion tax.
The most effective and practical solution is to prohibit parking of vehicles on the roadside. Buildings should have their own parking lots. If this rule is strictly implemented, there is no need to impose one-way system or go in for a road-widening project.
Create exclusive bus bays as more than one lane is wasted. BMTC buses can operate mini-buses along congested roads.
Accident data collection, retrieving, analysing, predicting and monitoring of accidents can be done by database management system.
Pedestrians’ safety should be ensured since many are killed on roads due to inadequate footpaths. Sidewalks should have a minimum width of 1.5 metres as recommended by Indian Road Congress for urban roads.
Side doors to autorickshaws can prevent the practice of carrying more schoolchildren than stipulated.
Lorries and trucks are often offloaded due to technical snags. As in Delhi, old vehicles must be phased out.
Since deaths due to drink driving are alarming, particularly on highways, dabhas and liquor shops should be closed before 11pm.
Speed-breakers should be introduced only at places where they are needed.
— The writer is an adviser to the state government on traffic and infrastructure and member of ABIDE
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