Traffic police reiterate myth about success of one-ways

One-ways: Police stick to ‘boon’ theory
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: The Bangalore Traffic police have introduced 45 one-ways in the city in the last eleven months. While these measures have drawn flak, the police are convinced, the one-ways have benefited the city.

According to them, at least another two-dozen roads will soon be converted into one-ways on an experimental basis in the next six months. But it is evident that these ‘experiments’ will eventually become permanent.

First, a look at why the city needs one-ways. Most of the business establishments, government offices are within city limits. The city’s real estate is frozen and hence acquisition of land for road expansion is costly, difficult and in most cases impossible. There is very little government will and resource to acquire such land.

View this in the backdrop of the city’s vehicle population which is increasing by leaps and bounds owing to the lack of adequate public transport. It is indeed a dismal picture. Traffic snarls, pollution, growing accident rate, shamefully low cruising speed - in other words - it’s chaos.

The police claim that one-way is the only viable quick-fix solution. It requires no financial investment and the results are encouraging.

According to the higher-ups in the department, after the introduction of one-ways, the average cruising speed in Bangalore has gone up by 5 km/hr. Accidents have come down as there are no oncoming vehicles. Pollution has come down, as there is no engine idling. Several traffic signals have been removed and there is continuous, easy movement.

‘‘The initial opposition to one-ways is now dying down as people have come to realise that it actually help them reach their destinations faster,’’ said a police officer. This, however, is wishful thinking. One-ways are still the pet peeve of those who wonder if there is any logic or science behind their introduction.

Some of the one-ways that are commonly despised are Cunningham Road and Queens Road, Rajbhavan Road and Seshadri Road.

Cunningham Road, which is a one-way between Chandrika Hotel junction and Queen’s circle, is under public scanner for the defective rationale behind it. As a result of the introduction, BMTC buses have to enter Miller’s Road to reach Queens circle and then Shivajinagar bus stand - an additional 3 km. A waste of fuel, argue the critics.

Making Queens Road a one-way was unnecessary. They feel that the road is wide enough for two-way traffic and is now being under utilised. The same is the case with Seshadri Road, which is wide enough to support two-way traffic. Another complaint is that making Rajbhavan Road a one-way has doubled the waiting time at the GPO traffic signal.