The streets are jam-packed!

CAR CHAOS

But today, with increasing consumerism and purchasing power, people are buying cars without a second thought. Even with petrol prices sky-rocketing, there seems to be no respite from the congestion caused due to private vehicles on the streets.

The number of cars that enter the roads on a daily basis is astronomical. According to an RTO official, on an average, 200 cars are registered every month and the number of cars booked every year is nearly 40,000. This is done at 10 RTO centers in Bangalore. He says, “There is no regulation to restrict the number of cars people buy. But first preference is given to the emission test certificate before we register the cars. A regulation will be passed in the next few months to see that zero-emission models are manufactured and once in six months, an emission test
certificate should be produced before the RTO. Due to lack of parking space, the congestion in the City has also increased. So the government must also think about allotting spaces for parking which could help in decongesting the traffic.” He says mobilisation of public transport and a strong awareness drive on using it could help decrease congestion in the City. But the public has a different view altogether. “The problem with public transport is that it is not reliable all the time. We are forced to use autos or our own vehicle to commute in times of emergency. But we must also realise that we should not use vehicles for short-distance travel,” says Abhijith S R, an IT professional.

“The only way to reduce traffic congestion in the City is to go for pooling and travelling together. It will also reduce pollution,” says Roopa Sriharsha, a homemaker.

Environmentalist Suresh Heblikar adds, “As far as the car population is concerned, people must make a conscious attempt to save the environment and use cars only when they are is necessary. A strong awareness drive with a pro-active approach must be developed among people. They must be encouraged to use cycles and public transport to reduce carbon emission. The government must also take steps to create cycle lanes in every area so as to encourage cycling and foster an eco-conscious behaviour among people.”