Speed vs sustainability: A transit trap?

Car-centric roads contradict the city’s climate and sustainability goals, but the government argues they can cut emissions via smoother traffic, say experts.

Bengaluru is building 50 kilometres of urban tunnel roads and 110 kilometres of elevated corridors to cut travel time and ease congestion. Reports indicate that B-SMILE has already proposed a toll of Rs 19 per km for the 16.5-km Hebbal-Silk Board tunnel road, which would cost a one-way trip close to Rs 300 in toll.

Experts and activists have questioned the tunnels and elevated roads approach, and the rationale behind building tolled roads inside the city that would be used only by private vehicles and not by the public.

Citizen activists say the tunnel may not significantly ease congestion, citing the traffic snarls below existing flyovers as examples. Krishna Raj, a professor at the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bengaluru, who has also worked on many related projects, says such projects may not be viable in the long run.

“How many people will use the tunnel or elevated roads? Does the government have any numbers based on surveys? How many buses will be allowed?” he asks.

The government seems to have taken into account the number of registered private vehicles in the city, totalling close to 23 lakh. Citizens say no one has actually looked into whether all those vehicles are commuting on the roads every day, and whether all vehicles are still in Bengaluru—people often move from cities along with their cars. Some vehicles would have been scrapped. No one has concrete data on the number of cars that get onto Bengaluru’s roads every day.

The first road to be tolled in the Bengaluru vicinity was NICE Road, a peripheral road that connects various roads going out of the city. Krishna Raj says that the two cannot be compared. “NICE road also carries the peripheral traffic, including cargo and long-distance vehicles, to avoid getting into the city. These roads will be meant for city users. Tunnel or elevated roads can never be a solution to ease the traffic,” he adds.

Who is allowed?

A note sent by Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D K Shivakumar in response to DH’s questions sheds some light on the government’s approach to the overall project of decongesting Bengaluru with elevated and tunnel roads.

The note calls the tunnels not a standalone project, but a part of a balanced mobility strategy involving metro, suburban rail, and bus fleets, while using tolled infrastructure to decongest roads, reduce fuel wastage, and ensure productivity.

Currently, cars, buses, autos, bikes, and cycles compete for limited road space. If the tunnels divert even 40% of the trunk route’s traffic—primarily cars and some buses—it directly reduces the load on surface roads, says the note.

“The tunnel project is far from elitist. Directly, the tunnel serves four-wheelers and buses, offering them an efficient, convenient alternative to existing surface roads. Cyclists and motorbikers, often from lower-income groups, rely on surface roads and face delays due to heavy traffic. A less congested road network improves their travel times and safety. Reduced traffic at grade allows autos and public buses to operate more efficiently, benefiting middle- and lower-income commuters,” says the note.

Cars, taxis, and buses will be allowed inside the tunnel. A bus running through the tunnel replaces dozens of private cars. However, two-wheelers will not be allowed in the tunnel to ensure their safety, considering the enclosed tunnel environment and the associated higher risks.

The note adds: “When private traffic shifts to faster roads, the freed-up surface spaces can be redeveloped to enhance pedestrian facilities, local road safety, and community spaces. Removing heavy and long-haul traffic from surface roads enables safer, more accessible, and more pleasant roads and urban environments for everyone, including residents, pedestrians, cyclists, and smaller vehicles, according to the note.”

Even though metro trains are faster, the city cannot have them for every nook and corner. To speed up public transport, like buses, the road infrastructure needs to be augmented. Initiatives like tunnels, underpasses, elevated corridors, etc., on busy routes help ease traffic and speed up public transport, argues the note.

“The question of how many buses will use the tunnel road is an evolving operational detail to be finalised in coordination with BMTC, BMRCL, and BMLTA. The DPRs provide the framework, and the final deployment will ensure that buses are a core beneficiary of the tunnel road, making the project boost the public transport efficiency in the city,” says the note.

“Bengaluru has one of the highest per capita vehicle ownership rates in India, highlighting a clear preference or necessity among citizens for private transportation options due to convenience, end-to-end connectivity, or specific personal requirements,” says the note.

However, experts remain sceptical. “In future, there may come a time when people who need to go out may be reduced. Or more people would shift to public transport. What happens to the infrastructure then?” asks an expert.

“If the city succeeds in shifting more people to the metro and buses in future, the tunnel road will still not be a wasted investment. It can serve as a high-reliability corridor for buses, emergency services, and commercial vehicles. Internationally, many cities have repurposed toll infrastructure for electric buses or public shared transport. Bengaluru can do the same,” the note adds.

The note says this vision, pursued with consistency and coordination, will transform Bengaluru from being a city known for its traffic jams to one that is celebrated for its smart, sustainable, and commuter-friendly mobility system.

The question of funding

To a question on the funding of the tolled elevated and tunnel roads, the note provides limited details. “For the North-South Tunnel, the Modified BOOT (Build–Own–Operate–Transfer) model of PPP provides the most practical solution for development. The government will provide 40% of the estimated cost of the project, and private investors will bring in the remaining capital. A variable concession period ensures that the government’s interests are protected, and the private developer does not make super-normal profits.”

“The RFP for the North-South tunnel is floated and currently active. During the pre-bid meeting, the response from prospective private players was encouraging,” says the note.

“The introduction of user charges (tolls) is a strategic decision. Unlike urban infrastructure projects in other cities, such as Mumbai, which frequently use the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) mode and rely entirely on taxpayer money, our approach ensures that the financial burden rests primarily with the tunnel’s users, and not the public,” the note explains.

However, experts disagree. “There will be indirect costs to the public even though the project is funded through loans. Buses need to be at grade for people to get in and out of them. A bus that runs inside the tunnel cannot be intercity; it has to be long-distance or connecting two distant points inside the city, for which there will already be solutions through the expanding network of metro trains. So the argument that buses will use tunnel roads is flawed,” says an expert, preferring anonymity.

According to Krishna Raj, one of the solutions is to make public transport affordable or free. “In Australia’s Melbourne, people hop in and out of buses for free, which makes them use public transport. This was tried here on Independence Day of 2022, and more people used buses. The Shakti scheme that provides free buses has also proved to be a game-changer,” he says. However, the buses that use toll roads will cost more due to the tolls.

The climate angle

The expert says building roads for cars is in contradiction to the climate plans the city has. Increased cars mean increased vehicular pollution and fuel consumption, and more greenhouse gases. This is anti-environment. Boring of tunnels for the metro took years to complete. No one knows how long this project will take and what the impact of delays will be,” he says.

Apparently, the government has thought about the climate dimension.

“Public transport capacity has limits. Bengaluru still generates excess car and freight traffic that cannot simply vanish. The tunnel ensures that this residual demand is managed efficiently—by removing bottlenecks, reducing idling, and lowering emissions that come from stop-and-go traffic at choke points like Silk Board and Hebbal. The smooth traffic movement cuts emissions per vehicle, even if total volumes remain steady,” says the note, focusing on the pollution and climate angle.

“Underground tunnelling significantly limits environmental impact. Unlike surface expansions, it avoids tree-cutting and the destruction of green spaces, critical issues in Bengaluru’s ongoing battle to preserve its ecological balance. Risks such as groundwater disruption are carefully assessed and addressed through appropriate engineering solutions by experienced contractors,” says the note.

According to the note, the tunnel project offers significant and wide-ranging benefits, providing an equitable, environmentally responsible, and socially inclusive solution that enhances urban mobility in Bengaluru while safeguarding the city’s cultural, ecological, and social fabric.