Lessons from the coronavirus lockdown

Lockdown eased, the traffic is back with a bang. So is pollution, much of it triggered by vehicular exhaust. Indeed, the eco-relief has been short-lived but the restrictions offered some serious clues to help Bengaluru get back its once clean and green image. Did anyone care to learn?

Beyond mobility, the visibly clear lake waters, the free-flowing Vrushabhavathi river and the storm water drains without their characteristic stink offered clues too. Independent comparative pre- and post-lockdown studies have surfaced with dramatic results. But where are the ones with an official stamp?

To illustrate the lockdown’s positive impact on the environment, here’s a look at Whitefield, one of the city’s areas most affected by vehicular pollution. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the IT hub dropped dramatically from 63 before the lockdown to 23 when vehicles disappeared from the roads.

Air Quality indicators

But as Ambee, a city-based eco-intelligence startup noted, the AQI began to soar on May 3 when the lockdown restrictions were eased. Within a week, it had hit 77, way beyond even the pre-lockdown AQI. It was clinching proof that hardly any lesson was learnt. Disturbingly, the study showed, it was getting worse.

Similar trends from other areas such as Majestic, K R Puram and Sadashivanagar have reinforced the findings. The repeated pleas by mobility experts to stress on sustainability while reopening the roads had obviously fallen on deaf ears. As the succeeding weeks intensify the road congestion, the spectre of a lost opportunity looms large.

An oft-ignored contributor to air pollution in the city is garbage-burning. In the near-absence of vehicular emissions during the lockdown, the waste burning came to the fore in many areas. “For instance, a lot of this was recorded from Garvebhavipalya on Hosur Road,” notes Madhusudhan Ambee, the startup cofounder.

Garbage-burning

Garbage-burning is a big issue in Whitefield as well. The deadly mix of vehicular exhaust, poor traffic control, the Metro construction and garbage has kept the AQI high in the area. “In Sadashivanagar too, the AQI has gone up due to the rampant burning of waste inside Palace Grounds,” Ambee informs.

This calls for a huge policy intervention, he notes. At least 50% of the violators should be heavily penalized. The regular defaulters who burn waste dumps on the roadside should be identified and made to pay. “Residents Welfare Association heads could be trained to help operationalise this.”

Mobility policies

From a city-wide perspective, the lockdown gave clear indications on how to reconfigure mobility policies. Since an estimated 80% of the private, personal traffic and cabs are contributed by office-goers, many experts suggest a long-term switch to sustainable Work from Home (WFH) options.

Many corporate offices outsource commute to private operators, who run diesel vehicles. Emission norms should be tightened to rein in these players. Penalties should increase. But what about the vast majority of factory workers who cannot afford even a two-wheeler and end up depending on the city’s outstretched public transport?

COVID-19 pandemic precautions mandate social-distancing, and this implies buses without crowds. But with only 6,300 buses, can the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) afford to decongest its vehicles?

To avoid crowds and yet cater to the teeming thousands dependent only on public transport, innovations in strategy are critical. For years, mobility experts and the Bus Prayanikara Vedike have been demanding an enhancement of the fleet. The Corporation has often attributed the shortage to revenue crunch.

Cashless, contact-less

Nevertheless, BMTC has now decided to opt for cashless transactions post-lockdown. Its new standard operating protocol implies contactless, cashless tickets, where passengers could pay by e-wallets for single trips. To ensure social-distancing, the Corporation will operate only non-AC buses with only 50% capacity.

On the way out are regular tickets and daily passes, to be replaced by weekly and monthly passes. BMTC will make these available at bus stations. Payments for single trips could be made through PayTm and Google Pay with QR codes displayed for scanning on all the buses.

Reimagining infrastructure

The infrastructure for public transport should be re-imagined with social-distancing in mind, notes urban mobility analyst Sanjeev Dyamannavar. “Foot overbridges and walkways should be wide enough to prevent overcrowding,” he says.

Multiple modes of mass transport need to be tightly integrated, with easy access that avoids crowding. The City Railway Metro Station and the KSR Metro Station are now conveniently connected with bridges. But this is not the case with the Yeswanthpura Railway and Metro Stations.

Walkability boost

Before the lockdown, thousands of people had to walk up and down multiple staircases with heavy luggage. This inevitably would lead to crowding at the entrance and exit points of the two stations once the Metro reopens. Poor coordination between the South Western Railways and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has left this basic bridge trapped in a bureaucratic web.

To cater to the post-lockdown need for social-distancing, Dyamannavar says the Metro should accelerate its pace of work. Thirteen years after work commenced, the Namma Metro has only 42 kms operational so far. “We would not have been in this situation if they had opened even a few stretches under the second phase.”

Bus priority lane

The lockdown also offered an opportunity to take a relook at the Bus Priority Lane, started as a pilot on the Outer Ring Road. “The bottlenecks should be sorted out. They can learn lessons from the Hubli-Dharwad Hubli-Dharwad BRTS corridor project with 200 buses. There is no overcrowding there,” points out Dyamannavar.

Beyond public transport, walking and cycling remain the most sustainable modes to get around short distances. The lockdown made the roads look eminently walkable and cycling. However, once the vehicles are back, pedestrians are forced to rely on the footpaths that are anything but walkable. Is it not time for a massive upgrade?