No easy choices to fix city's traffic problem: Bengaluru's new chief

Senior IPS officer and Bengaluru’s new traffic chief M Abdulla Saleem has his work cut out: Decongesting the choked city roads. But Saleem, who took charge on Tuesday, acknowledged that there are no quick fixes to the problem.

An IPS officer of the rank of additional director-general of police, Saleem holds a doctorate in traffic management and comes with rich experience in all things traffic. He has been put in charge by the government that has been flayed for its failure to solve the city’s traffic woes.

On Tuesday, Saleem took time off his packed schedule to explain his plans to DH on addressing the traffic management challenges. Edited excerpts:

Has the job of the traffic police become harder?

In the past, we launched many initiatives to decongest roads. We converted many roads into one-ways, introduced projects like Safe Routes to School and Traffic Management Plans, etc. These helped ease congestion to a large extent, especially in residential areas. But now, we face newer challenges and need to evolve certain strategies to overcome these traffic problems.

What are the new challenges?

The biggest problem is capacity constraints on roads. The road capacity does not match the volume of vehicles. It’s the main reason why we have congestion. Secondly, there’s the issue of shared road space. The space that a bus takes is taken by just two cars. Fifty people travel in a bus while a car usually has only two people. That’s where the importance of public transport comes in. Though the government has invested in public transport such as metro and commuter rail, completing them will take time.

Do bad roads make your job difficult?

To a certain extent, yes. But we have to give credit to civic agencies. They are doing their best and trying hard. We are coordinating with the BBMP and other civic agencies.

The quality of roads is good, especially Smart City and TenderSURE roads.

What about roads in outer areas?

The government is keen on improving traffic and has made investments. Once all these roadworks get completed, the city will get better and become more livable.

Will vehicle towing be brought back?

I can’t say anything about that right now. I have to understand why it was removed in the first place.

Many cops collect fines instead of regulating traffic. Some even demand bribes. How will you punish these bad apples?

We will bring in transparency. Technology will eliminate most of these practices.

How do you plan to decongest major choke points like the Hebbal flyover and Goraguntepalya and Silk Board junctions?

I want to personally visit these places, get a first-hand idea of what’s causing the congestion and come up with solutions. We need to see the flow of vehicles and think of alternative routes. We need to analyse the problem in a holistic manner. Some coordinated efforts have already been done to reduce congestion in these places. We will strengthen them.

Why did the government make you, an ADGP, the traffic police chief, a post that’s helmed by an officer of a lower rank?

You have to ask the government.