JOIN USThe state government is considering building long flyovers to ease traffic congestion on Bengaluru’s roads.
Speaking at ‘Traffix The Problem’, a DH citizen forum initiative to find solutions to the traffic problems, Bengaluru Police Commissioner T Suneel Kumar said the city had just three long flyovers — at KR Market, on Hosur Road and on Tumakuru Road in Peenya.
“There are some small flyovers, underpasses and subways which actually cause congestion. In order to move vehicles away from the central business district and other congested localities, we need long flyovers. The government is seriously considering them,”
he said.
Kumar said Bengaluru required three times more police personnel than the present strength.
Still, increased manpower alone will not solve the problem. What is needed is a joint effort between all the stakeholders, he added.
“More than four lakh vehicles pass between the Central Silk Board junction and Marathahalli at rush hour — between 9 am and 10 am and between 5 pm and 7 pm. Vehicles pile up unscientifically at all major junctions. This calls for changes in urban planning,” he noted.
Festival rush
Referring to the congestion caused by buses, the city’s top cop said they would soon talk to the BMTC and the KSRTC on how to improve the traffic situation during festivals when extra bus services are run.
“The KSRTC runs thousand of buses to cater to passenger rush during festivals. Most of these buses start in late evenings and return to the city once the festivals are over. The movement of so many buses at the same time triggers jams,” Kumar said.
He continued: “Neither the police nor the KSRTC can stop people from going out of town. We just want the KSRTC to run bus services throughout the day to reduce the traffic congestion. We plan to make a similar suggestion to the BMTC.”
Kumar said effective patrols had led to a minor drop in the number accidents on highways in Karnataka between January and June this year.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) R Hithendra spoke about the burgeoning vehicle population in the city. “Bengaluru had about 30 lakh vehicles in 2008. This number has now risen to 70 lakh. More than 40 lakh vehicles were added to the city in the past decade. There are at least 42 lakh two-wheelers,” he said.
Out of the city’s one crore people, about 80% travelled at least twice a day (two trips). This means about 1.6 crore people commute every day.
“BMTC buses carry about 50 lakh people and the metro about 3.5 lakh. The remaining 1.05 crore people depend on auto-rickshaws, cabs and personal vehicles such as two-wheelers, cars, etc. These vehicles cause huge congestion and pollution,” Hithendra said.
Parking issues
The traffic police have found that private vehicles are used for just three hours a day, and remain parked outside homes and offices for about 21 hours. The parking of so many vehicles chokes localities.
Hithendra cited a project report of the BMRCL to conclude that the city’s vehicle population was unpredictable. “The BMRCL predicted that the vehicle population would touch the 70-lakh mark by 2025. We already have these many vehicles,” he said.
DH News Service