Idea welcomed with a pinch of caution

How do Bengalureans perceive a road upgrade programme that shifts the priority from motorised to non-motorised commute? We asked a cross section of people on the merits and demerits of the TenderSURE project. Here’s what they told us: 

Christopher Edwin, who works in a private firm on Residency road, welcomes the idea behind the TenderSURE model and says that it is in the interest of the city’s development. However, he has a word of caution: The project has to be well planned and executed for it to work. He points out that some stretches of the newly laid roads have already been dug up. Once the work on a stretch is completed, there should not be any scope for digging it up and redoing the work, he feels.

Agreeing with him is Rajat Bopaiah, a lawyer, who feels that the project has increased the aesthetic quotient of the city. “However, this has come at the cost of increased congestion on the roads. The traffic is thrown out of gear during the peak hours and snarls are common on these roads,” he says.

He is of the opinion that the project can be deemed successful when the promises made are delivered. This can be achieved by accurate planning and costing, the details of which should be made public, he stresses.

“The TenderSURE roads are not disabled-friendly and that is a big disadvantage for not only the physically handicapped, but also those who suffer from visual impairment. The model should incorporate international features that make the roads and footpaths safe for the disabled,” he suggests.

Jayanti Adiga, a resident of Lavelle Road, says that the public’s involvement is equally important in successful implementation of civic projects.

"One sees people riding on the footpaths and using them as parking spots. This will soon damage the footpaths and may cause them to cave in. Installing CCTV cameras at vantage points can help curb the menace of people riding on footpaths."

She is of the opinion that the government should incentivise public transport so that the number of vehicles on the streets decreases, helping in the decongestion of the Central Business District.

Aparna Ramesh, a legal advisor, emphasises that the road upgrade project can be viable if the different phases are completed on a war footing. Otherwise, the delay in completion of the work just exacerbates the traffic congestion on the roads, she says.

“If there are wider footpaths in an area where there are not many pedestrians, it will only cause bottlenecks and traffic jams. Futuristic planning is necessary for such projects to succeed,” she opines.

Y D Kulkarni, who lives near Cunningham Road, is very happy with the project. “We now have very modern looking, clean roads and footpaths.  However, the dustbins installed on the footpaths are already overflowing as people dump even household waste in them,” he says.

It would be a good idea to reduce the width of the extremely wide footpaths to increase the carriageway and make space for parking vehicles, he opines.

R K Misra, a member of the BBMP Technical Advisory Committee and the Director of Center for SMART Cities disagrees that the decreased carriageway on the TenderSURE roads is causing traffic jams. “It is a fallacy that congestion has increased on TenderSURE roads.

We have data that suggests otherwise,” he says.  “Increasing the road width would only encourage the public to park their vehicles by the roadside and contribute to traffic jams.

The TenderSURE roads are designed in a manner that aids the smooth flow of traffic,” he explains.

Misra notes that a few spots lack the desirable finish due to the negligence of the contractors. The success of the project also depends on the maintenance of the roads and footpaths by the BBMP, which has been lax in the upkeep, he opines.