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Ideas For Bangalore

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Written By tsubba - 7 November, 2007

Bangalore Infrastructure Participation

ToI is starting a column called big ideas. This week it is Mohandas Pai, NS Mukunda and V sathyamurthy's ideas - basically diagnosis and prescriptions. Thougt it will worthwhile to discuss them ...

TV Mohandas Pai
The biggest challenge for Bangalore is to put in place a holistic policy for the movement of her citizens within the city. Bangalore today has a population of about 70 lakh, with 30 lakh vehicles registered, including 5 lakh cars, 1.5 lakh autorickshaws, 22 lakh two-wheelers and the rest being buses, lorries, three-wheelers and assorted vehicles. Bangalore has the secondlargest number of private vehicles in the country despite having the most profitable public transport system in India. Every day about 850 vehicles are being registered adding to the chaos on the roads.

Bangalore has other challenges. Its populace is getting wealthier and more mobile. Land policies in Bangalore are skewed and irrationally in favour of individual independent housing instead of high-density housing leading to an urban sprawl and longer commuting. It lacks a classical city centre with large employment generation centres on the outskirts. It lacks ring roads within the city, with the outer ring road being as busy as the city roads, ill-designed for fast traffic. Bangalore is long overdue for a rapid transit system which is only now being built, delayed by unnecessary political opposition. Bangalore displays all the characteristics of an overgrown small town.

Adding to the misery, the flow of traffic is chaotic with a distinct lack of discipline by the road users. This is compounded by an illequipped and inadequate police force. There has been no substantial investment in the police force over the last ten years.

There are no easy solutions. We need a plan of action spread over the next 24 months, monitored monthly by a high-level empowered group to solve them. We also need this group to create and maintain a 25-year perspective plan like Singapore so that investments are made on time to manage traffic and build transportation systems.

“The city has expanded in a very short time beyond the imagination of everybody,” was the constant refrain that came to the rescue of those in charge of the city’s development. But that was some five years ago! It’s time to move on and ensure action on the ground.

Some actions for immediate consideration include:

Staggered timings
1. School and college timings to be between 8 am and 3:30 pm so that there’s no clash with office timings
2. Offices to start by 9 am so that traffic on account of government employees doesn’t mix with this movement.

Intelligent Traffic Management
1. Study traffic patterns to devise intelligent traffic management alternatives — to give right of way to peak-hour traffic in a particular direction. This will ensure that traffic flows are managed with differential times on traffic lights
2. Synchronised traffic signals based on traffic flows
3. Availability of police personnel on all roads and intelligent deployment of the same based on traffic volumes
4. Enlist help from local communities/ industrial areas for traffic management
5. Strengthen enforcement of traffic rules 6. Installation of cameras across the city with a common command centre to ensure that offences are recorded and punished.

Development of roads
1. Complete diversion roads already sanctioned for the diversion of HTV — don’t allow HTV to plough through daily office/ school-going traffic
2. Completion of NICE road connecting Hosur Road to Tumkur Road; this will reduce congestion in South Bangalore by over 35%
3. Completion of the peripheral road linking industrial areas to allow easy access to and from the location (Tumkur Road; Bellary Road; Whitefield Industrial Area; Hosur Road)
4. Creation of inner ring road over major drains with drop-off points at various centres
5. Broaden the main traffic corridors as done in Hyderabad to hasten traffic.

Central Business District
1. Traffic studies in CBD area to deploy some intelligent traffic management strategies
2. Allocate space for parking and build multi-level parking facilities at identified locations based on traffic volumes study
3. Run buses on a merry-go-round basis from parking lots around CBD to reduce vehicles on roads


Improved Public Transport Services
1. Improved quality and frequency of buses, increasing buses at peak hours when demand is the greatest
2. Integrate rapid transit system, railway system, bus system and public parking to reduce load on roads
3. Train BMTC drivers who today stop in the middle of the roads and create traffic blocks
4. Cleaner public buses with better seats, lesser engine noise inside, with power steering for better throughput.

Infrastructure development is not just about building roads. It is about building caring and cooperative communities which will come together to work on themes for the city’s improvement that matter to them. It is about building cultures. Take the example of Bogota, and one of the largest revolutions in urban development that was achieved through unleashing the collective power of the common man.


High-powered committee
The government must authorise and empower a committee under the leadership of the chief secretary to identify and track progress the above decisions and of infrastructure development in the city

1. The committee must consist of representatives of government; citizens, industry bodies and NGOs and other stakeholders
2. This committee must be given the responsibility to bring different government and private agencies together for infrastructure development/ improvement programmes
3. Set milestones and report progress on the project to the public every month; prioritise short- and long-term projects

There is a need for citizens, the government and other stakeholders to work together. No longer can we accept that this is the government’s problem and all we need to do is criticise. All of us need to work together to change what is happening. I am optimistic that the citizens of Bangalore can bring about change in the city. We owe it to ourselves.
(The writer is member of the board, Infosys Technologies. These are his personal views and do not represent those of the organisation)

N S Mukunda, PRESIDENT, CITIZENS’ ACTION FORUM
Traffic experts must plan, traffic police must enforce. Sadly in Bangalore, the traffic department comes up with all the plans, but fails to implement them. Talk of lane discipline, where are the lane markings? BTRAC can be a good plan to manage traffic. How about installing cameras at signals and booking violators? Reward law-abiders and punish defaulters. Change has to come from the individuals. How many IT-BT and BPO companies have taken action against erring cab drivers? Are schools punishing bus drivers for reckless driving? Has the police suspended licences of any repeat offender? The traffic flow is affected by the huge number of signals. Synchronise them or introduce underpasses to make roads signal-free.

V Sathyamurthy, PRESIDENT, RESIDENTS WELFARE ASSOCIATION, SANJAYNAGAR
If there is a superlative term to “chaotic”, that should be used for Bangalore traffic. Bangloreans do not follow rules. The first and foremost measure should be to discipline road users. Only sustained efforts on the part of traffic police coupled with hefty fines will bring about a semblance of discipline. Separate lanes for two wheelers and autorickshaws should be enforced ruthlessly. Even the work on World Bank-funded projects is shoddy. Such projects should be entrusted to professional companies.

COMMENTS

CBD - Bishop Cotton,

Arun - 9 November, 2007 - 04:32

CBD - Bishop Cotton, Baldwins should be asked to let the vans in their compunds. BC is a big time culprit on Residency Road. BMTCs should be allowed to ply two-ways on St.Marks, Resi and Rich Rds. Bishop Cotton junction also gets cluttered with school vans and BMTC stop. Some suggestions - * remove parking outside the school so the path gets cleared * this path can be only for BMTC * all buses moving towards Mayo Hall can be allowed stops on Res Rd (where the school vans are parked now) * all buses to ShivajiNgr should turn left on St.M's and stop (remove parking here too) *By allowing BMTCs to ply 2-way on these three roads, you are bringing back those bus commuters who have now moved to 2-Ws, for instance when Mayo Hall stop was thrown away near Football Sta. This goes well with the merry go round suggestion. * parking should be ONLY paid parking. expecting BMP to construct parking lot from public money is not right. private players should be allowed to do this. Btw, I heard from a friend working at Infy that people working in EC are taking the trains plying on the Salem Route. This should be encouraged as it will ease the traffic inside the city as well. The EC Community should fight for better Rly link than the elevated or the elevated-upon-elevated highways.

one ways on richmond residency roads..

blrsri - 9 November, 2007 - 09:31

The BC parking issue was one of the deciding factors for converting the richmond and residency(why is it called that? I dont see any one reside there) road to one ways. The other reason was the access to the current airport. This is reason for the great 'signal on flyover' concept to be implemented! These schools/colleges can as well get all their vehicles(busses/vans/cars) within their premices..I see many times when there is a single kid in a huge mercedes..what a plight!!! With the new airport coming up..and many airport vehicles getting diverted.. probably setting this school parking issue sorted we can have the oneway rule reverted also!

My two cents

s_yajaman - 9 November, 2007 - 11:19

I personally think that enforcement is the most important one. If we have 10 lane roads in bangalore, it will be 10 lanes of chaos. Start with a 3 x 3 km zone inside the city or on the arterial roads and show the public that they mean business. I hear that Delhi is much improved. More roads mean more cars. Public transport should be improved. BMTC does not cover enough. Take an example of 9th cross in JP Nagar - not one bus goes on it. Or direct buses from Koramangala and Jayanagar to EC or ITPL. Car usage wont come down - but two wheelers can. Make parking stiff. We don't pay anything now. how can BBMP wash it's hands off parking. rs.20-30/hr in the CBD is the minimum. Add a cess for petrol and diesel in bangalore (in the order of rs.5/l). Should go to a kitty to improve infrastructure (people who use it pay for it). Srivathsa

parking

tsubba - 9 November, 2007 - 12:50

need to dig up why bmp is not able to implement paid parking. obvious answer is people not willing to pay. but hey, we all know if they want to do it, they will do it. something else cooking here. i am sure they can use the revenue to maintain roads and what not. sri... Start with a 3 x 3 km zone inside the city or on the arterial roads and show the public that they mean business. could not agree more with you this. 3 lanes means three lanes. 9+9 meters of right of access. one of things is would like to see is half lanes, 1.5 meters wide, for two wheelers and autos. 3 meter lanes guides big vehicles, for small vehicles 3 meters is too wide to discipline them and they drift anywhere in that lane. remember that episode in seinfeld where kramer makes luxury lanes? :) here is how the markings would be... W=Wide line, T-Thin line W-T-W-T-W-T-W (we currently have: W-W-W-W)

Rationing Cars

tsubba - 7 November, 2007 - 16:17

Get ready to pay premium to own a new car(The Hindu) If you are aspiring to buy a new car, better to buy one immediately. For, soon you may have to pay a premium to own a new one in the Bangalore Metropolitan Region (BMR). The authorities are thinking of introducing “car rationing” or auctioning the right to own a new car aimed at decongesting the city roads plagued by ever-increasing traffic. A proposal to this effect was made by Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) to the Bangalore Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA), the umbrella organisation to regulate all kinds of road transport (except the Railways) in BMR. The BMLTA is seeking expert opinion on the issue. Apart from suggesting introduction of quota system for cars, the BMTC has proposed to levy congestion tax for private vehicles which enter and ply in congested areas of the city. Singapore model The suggestions are based on the Singapore model, which had enforced ownership control and user restriction. Adopted in 1990, the quota system aims at controlling ownership and increase in personal vehicles. Open tenders are invited twice a month to auction ownership rights and the “certificate of entitlement” is valid for 10 years. Also, area licensing system with electronic road pricing was adopted to regulate entry of private vehicles into the central business district. Vehicles are fitted with electronic cards and entry points at restricted zones have sensors to read the card. Congestion charge gets deducted from vehicle owner’s bank account once the vehicle enters the restricted zone. With these measures, congestion in the CBD is under control despite there being an increase in the number of vehicles. The number of cars registered and kept in use in BMR has increased from 21,760 in 1976 to five lakh in 2007. Since 2004, more than 40,000 cars were added every year. On an average, 200 new cars are registered daily in 10 Regional Transport Offices across the BMR. Those registering new cars outside Bangalore and using them in BMR will have to pay entry tax. If the car is found being used in the city for long, the owner will have to pay the congestion charge, the proposal said. Reacting to the proposal, K.S. Satyavratha, a businessman, termed it ridiculous. “For me, car is a necessity and a way of life since I have good income and want to lead a decent life. The ‘permit raj,’ the other way to corruption, in a democratic set-up has become irrelevant. Let the Government provide sufficient infrastructure to take the increasing burden of vehicles.” Transport Commissioner M. Lakshminarayana said the issue was still in proposal stage. Any decision had to be taken at the highest level; he said and added that that there were many issues to be looked into. One of the issues would be revenue to the Government through registration tax. The other would be how to check outside vehicles being used in BMR. Gain to society However, advocates in favour of public transport argue that the Government should take into account the long-term gains instead of short-term ones. Less number of private vehicles on roads means less number of accidents and less air pollution, which profoundly contribute to social health.

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