Bumper to Bumper 1: One-ways a sure route forward

One-ways a sure route forward
By V. Ravichandar

One would be hard pressed to find a Bangalore reader of The Times Of India who does not have a view on the chaotic traffic conditions. Clearly, we need a short, medium and long-term solution even as we grapple with the constraints and ground realities that confront us. Fixing Bangalore’s traffic woes will, over time, need one ‘super physician’ overseeing a set of ‘specialised doctors’. There is no single magic pill that will make our woes go away.

First, the super physician who is not yet in sight — a land transport authority as single point, accountable head empowered to deliver traffic solutions. For starters, the body will need to work across the RTO, BMP, police, BMTC, Railways, BDA, local municipalities, Metro Rail and road-digging utilities, among others. And their writ has to run.

Citizens, too, form part of the specialists’ pool. The current flavour is one-way and it sure is a way to go forward — three ordinary citizens stepped forward with a comprehensive one-way plan. Much of it works. The citizen as driver or pedestrian has a role to play. Going forward, citizens need to find ways to embed themselves into decision-making, be it the Comprehensive Development Plan which will affect Bangalore’s footprints, the proposed Metro alignment or transport to the proposed International airport. Citizens need more transparency, consultation and disclosure of information on traffic plans that affect their daily commute.

In the long run, multi-modal public transport is inevitable. In the short run, bus transport has to be more effective. Optimal route planning and directionoriented bus systems can reduce bus fleet requirements. Passengers might need to take more than one bus, but they will get to their destination faster and for the same price. Technology can make it happen. Technology can help in improving bus driving habits too — have a call centre record complaints. Convert data to individual bus driver statistics. Reward high performers and re-train low performers.

Education, tougher licensing measures, and training policemen are necessary. Penalties too can play a role in enforcement. Computerising violations has commenced. Insurance companies can charge higher premiums from erring drivers. Zero Tolerance, version 1.0, did not work. But it could, if we all had the courage to plan the right way in a small stretch and stick to the implementation. Bangalore needs a role model, a little Singapore on at least a small stretch of road!

Pedestrian concerns are equally paramount. Traffic calming zones to allow pedestrians to cross are necessary. Improved infrastructure like standardised road humps, junction improvements, superior road surfaces, providing for parking, planning for bus stops, synchronised signals would be a sight for our sore eyes. Roads dug and not restored within three days should attract penalty. More flyovers are not necessarily the answer. A properly designed oneway like the one around Kanteerava Stadium made a Rs 100-crore flyover at Hudson Circle redundant.

(V. Ravichandar is a former member of BATF. His out-of-box ideas can be accessed at www.ideasforgov.org)