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I have been thinking about this for years now: Building to signal free roads cutting across the city. For e.g. From Mysore road ring road junction to K.R Puram and from Peenya/Tumkur road to J.P Nagar 6th Phase (ring road).These must be 6 lane non stop roads with bus bays and designated turning areas. Also bring the Core ring road so these two roads avoid MG Road. Now, everyone will automatically find thier way to the nearest entry point to this express road and use it till the last stop. For e.g. if I were to go from Vijaynagar to M.G Road, then I would head to mysore road an take the express road (as opposed to digging through sheshadripuram). also ply busses at regular intervals on these roads. So feeder busses will bring you from home to the nearest express road stop and hence forth...

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{deleted}

removing my comment to stick to short term suggestions requested by Devesh. 

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I would suggest that all concerned take a pragmatic view of situation on the ground and take steps to ease some of our traffic and commuter issues. It is a reality that:

1. B'lore roads are narrow and there is hardly any space left for widening specially which are built over couple of decades back.

1. Traffic is going to increase many folds.

Having said that, I strongly believe that with the scientific and realistic approach we can decongest B'lore traffic to a large extent. That should be done with 2 prang strategy.

1. The newly developed areas should be built with wider roads, signal less junctions and with space for pedestarians, bicycles and with ample space for mass transit stations / stops.

2. Revamp the whole traffic infrastructure for the existing ones.

I would comment on #2 as # 1 is self explanatory. A complete overhaul approach should be adopted in order to decongest the trrafic.

A. Need to do a comprehesive study / survey of present day main roads, arterial roads, junctions, Public Transport services, private transports and financial aspects of policing the traffic.

B. Based on the study and its analysis it should not be difficult to:

1. Make all the Major Intersections specially in Central areas Signal free (atleast in Heavy traffic directions). Solution - Magic Underpasses?
2. Skybirdges/safe paths for pedesterian crossings at all Intersections.
3. Rationalize the whole BMTC routes with more Transit Centers.
4. Instead of area destined, make BMTC busses ply more on Major Roads lengths. Example, run busses on Mysore Road more frequently that would go upto Mysore road transit center. Then full/small size busses running on roads which runs perpendicular to Mysore Road.
5. Institute PPP for running buses/vehicles serving area schools
6. Private vehicles on weekdays should be discouraged.
7. Stagger the working hours for different commuters like office goers to start early, schools to delay a bit etc.

Hope my thoughts becomes visible to all those who matters.

Regards,

Syed 

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Devesh,

I like all your points. 

Need to add lane discipline in at least the city center, using bollards as lane markers if necessary and a zero tolerance to any  violation in this limited area.  Residency Road is an example of a wide road with chaotic traffic.  Bangalore seems to have this problem that traffic gets going very slowly when lights turn green because people don't follow lanes (it is like untangling a knot ).  Laminar traffic flow can reduce congestion to a great extent.

Point number 1 is difficult administratively. We need to define the boundaries of the central area, cover every entry point, etc and unless we move to the ERP Singapore style with gantries and stored value cards, it will make congestion fairly high at the entry point - (may not be such a bad idea).  The buses might end up getting stuck behind the long line waiting to pay the surcharge and become a victim of unintended consequences. 

Parking fee can be simplified greatly by the method you have suggested.  Again given the number of vehicles free riders can get away.  We need traffic wardens to monitor and seeing the hooliganism prevalent in Bangalore, I fear for their safety.  How do we ensure that it does not become their word against the person's?  How do we ensure that the person actually pays a fine - wheel clamps?  Law enforcement needs to go hand in hand with all these proposals and become ruthless.  I can't understand why BBMP has let go of this excellent revenue stream and then claim it has no funds and go on to increase property tax saying it needs funds for infrastructure.

Point 3 is politically sensitive but not impossible.  Private operators can be limited to premium services and be regulated.   A PIL might do the trick again?  This is critical for the success of all other steps.  If the govt doesn't give people a good alternative then it can't do any of the other stuff.

Other options that can have the same effect as a congestion surcharge.

Bring back the annual vehicle tax on cars and bikes.  A big sticker is given in return with a hologram showing that the person has paid the annual tax for that year.   It should not  depend on when the car was registered but by fiscal/calendar year (pro-rata for a car regd mid year).  This should be in the Rs.20,000 range for cars and Rs.5000 for bikes - at least let car users pay for road maintenance and flyovers and expressways.  Weekend only cars/bikes with a different sticker/license plate colour can be 2/7 of this or even free.  (This might actually bring in the sunk cost mentality and people might think - let me make the most of the tax I have paid by using the car more - but would like to hear others as well).

Usage itself can be discouraged by making petrol more expensive within Bangalore limits.  Have a Rs.10/litre cess - Bangalore uses about 280 million litres of fuel each year.  If that does not work increase it even more - at some point people will treat private transport as something that is a luxury for weekends.  That can bring in Rs.250-Rs300 crores of cess or more for Metro/Bus expansion.

If we can increase the average speed in Bangalore from 13/14 kmph to even 20 kmph it will make a big difference.

Make pavements broad and usable (check Jayanagar 4th main road) so that people walk for distances <1-2km.

Whichever government comes in should do it immediately so that in 5 years the unpopular stuff would have become business as usual and they can do all the populist stuff in the last year.  Does any of them have the political will?

Srivathsa

 

 

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Hi All,

For reference, the CTTP-2007 report states :

Thus, they are also in line with your inputs here.

 

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