<p>Bengaluru: The suggestions of a private consulting firm, hired by Bengaluru’s municipal corporation to propose traffic decongestion plans along 190 km of high-density roads, were made public on Friday.</p>.<p>This immediately sparked criticism from mobility experts, who called the approach vehicle centric.</p>.<p>The 628-page feasibility report, prepared by New Delhi-based Altinok Consulting Engineering Inc, proposes almost a dozen elevated corridors, eight short flyovers, two double-decker (metro-rail) corridors, and two tunnel roads.</p>.<p>Barring the tunnel roads, the elevated roads — whether short or long — will cover a total length of 124 km. And, if one included the tunnel roads, it would be for almost 170 km of roads.</p>.<p>What’s more, the BBMP’s report, for which it spent Rs 4.5 crore, appears shallow compared to the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) of 2020, which provided a broad range of solutions to address commuting issues, including pedestrian infrastructure, junction improvements, and bus fleet augmentation.</p>.Driver who abandoned 16-wheeler truck on NICE road traced to Nagaland .<p>Mobility experts said the firm had not looked beyond, even though there is a need to create infrastructure that moves people, rather than simply making personal vehicle use more attractive.</p>.<p>In all likelihood, many of these proposals will remain on paper, as the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) had earlier prepared the CMP 2020 for Bengaluru, but successive governments have not taken the report <br>seriously.</p>.<p>“This extensive plan is designed to meet traffic demands projected over the next 30 years, addressing the city’s ever-increasing congestion,” the report states.</p>.<p>“By decongesting surface roads, it will alleviate the daily frustrations of commuters, providing faster and more reliable travel experiences.”</p>.<p>Transport planners, however, are furious with the suggestions.</p>.<p>“What exactly is the purpose of this report? Is this the wishlist of the BBMP’s favourite projects? By any measure, it can’t be treated as a feasibility report. It lacks clarity, conviction, rigour, and substance,” said Satya Arikutharam, an independent mobility expert.</p>.<p>“The BBMP should fix the basics, like road upkeep and usable pedestrian infrastructure, and drop these fancy elevated and tunnel road projects,” he added.</p>.<p>Tunnel road to infringe upon metro line at 9 places</p>.<p>The BBMP’s proposal to build a 16.69-km tunnel road between Hebbal and Central Silk Board, costing Rs 14,981 crore, will infringe upon the upcoming metro corridors as well as the existing metro lines at nine places.</p>.<p>This is expected to force Namma Metro authorities to go back to the drawing board to modify its design.</p>.<p>In at least four cases, Namma Metro will need to make changes immediately, as construction is already underway. This includes increasing the width of the metro span, as metro piers come in the way of the tunnel road project.</p>.<p>There are also a few places where the tunnel road will need to go beneath the underground metro corridor.</p>.<p>Besides these, the tunnel project will also impact the suburban rail work in two places, according to the report.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: The suggestions of a private consulting firm, hired by Bengaluru’s municipal corporation to propose traffic decongestion plans along 190 km of high-density roads, were made public on Friday.</p>.<p>This immediately sparked criticism from mobility experts, who called the approach vehicle centric.</p>.<p>The 628-page feasibility report, prepared by New Delhi-based Altinok Consulting Engineering Inc, proposes almost a dozen elevated corridors, eight short flyovers, two double-decker (metro-rail) corridors, and two tunnel roads.</p>.<p>Barring the tunnel roads, the elevated roads — whether short or long — will cover a total length of 124 km. And, if one included the tunnel roads, it would be for almost 170 km of roads.</p>.<p>What’s more, the BBMP’s report, for which it spent Rs 4.5 crore, appears shallow compared to the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) of 2020, which provided a broad range of solutions to address commuting issues, including pedestrian infrastructure, junction improvements, and bus fleet augmentation.</p>.Driver who abandoned 16-wheeler truck on NICE road traced to Nagaland .<p>Mobility experts said the firm had not looked beyond, even though there is a need to create infrastructure that moves people, rather than simply making personal vehicle use more attractive.</p>.<p>In all likelihood, many of these proposals will remain on paper, as the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) had earlier prepared the CMP 2020 for Bengaluru, but successive governments have not taken the report <br>seriously.</p>.<p>“This extensive plan is designed to meet traffic demands projected over the next 30 years, addressing the city’s ever-increasing congestion,” the report states.</p>.<p>“By decongesting surface roads, it will alleviate the daily frustrations of commuters, providing faster and more reliable travel experiences.”</p>.<p>Transport planners, however, are furious with the suggestions.</p>.<p>“What exactly is the purpose of this report? Is this the wishlist of the BBMP’s favourite projects? By any measure, it can’t be treated as a feasibility report. It lacks clarity, conviction, rigour, and substance,” said Satya Arikutharam, an independent mobility expert.</p>.<p>“The BBMP should fix the basics, like road upkeep and usable pedestrian infrastructure, and drop these fancy elevated and tunnel road projects,” he added.</p>.<p>Tunnel road to infringe upon metro line at 9 places</p>.<p>The BBMP’s proposal to build a 16.69-km tunnel road between Hebbal and Central Silk Board, costing Rs 14,981 crore, will infringe upon the upcoming metro corridors as well as the existing metro lines at nine places.</p>.<p>This is expected to force Namma Metro authorities to go back to the drawing board to modify its design.</p>.<p>In at least four cases, Namma Metro will need to make changes immediately, as construction is already underway. This includes increasing the width of the metro span, as metro piers come in the way of the tunnel road project.</p>.<p>There are also a few places where the tunnel road will need to go beneath the underground metro corridor.</p>.<p>Besides these, the tunnel project will also impact the suburban rail work in two places, according to the report.</p>