Vehicle Overload

VEHICLE OVERLOAD
The city’s vehicle population has ballooned to 22 lakh. New vehicles are being registered everyday. Where’s the space for them?
The Times of India

THE situation is alarming. From two lakh vehicles in 1980 to around 22 lakh vehicles in 2005, Bangalore is reaching saturation point on the vehicle front. That’s a seven-fold vehicle increase for a city that’s already bursting at the seams and it’s a giant burden that neither the city roads nor the city can take. Still not convinced? Just think of everyday traffic jams, congestion, slow moving traffic and increasing pollution levels and think of it getting worse, much worse. While the exploding vehicle population is an indication of rising prosperity levels, Bangalore can ill afford the luxury of such unchecked growth of vehicles. What can be done?

TOO MUCH:
Urgent action is warranted, say experts. “The growth of the vehicle population is eclipsing the urban population growth. The lack of a reliable mass transport system, high travel demand and private vehicle ownership becoming so affordable thanks to easy finance, means more people are buying vehicles. Every day, around 150 vehicles are registered at each of the city’s five Road Transport Offices. Over 70 per cent are two wheelers. but the number of four wheelers will catch up soon. Without a proportionate and equal increase in road surface or implementation of efficient traffic management systems, this can prove to be too much of a load,” says analyst N Sethuraman.

PHASE THE GROWTH:
A significant proportion of urban space was dedicated to city roads. But that was for the Bangalore of yore. Now, more vehicles mean lesser space therefore more jams, higher fuel consumption and more pollution as congestion forces people to travel in low gear. Traffic advisor to the government, MN Sreehari says that widening city roads is not possible. “It can only happen at the cost of losing footpaths and risking pedestrian lives. It is imperative that we adopt modern traffic management systems like Intelligent Transport system, Area Traffic Control and management and Vehicle Actuated Signals. Metro rail is a good idea, as it will take care of at least 60 per cent of individual transport needs. Authorities must control and restrict vehicle registrations by increasing tax structures and vehicle growth must be monitored and permitted in a phased manner.”

EASE THE BURDEN:
Road asset is a scarce resource in the city, but with better traffic management, the overload can be streamlined. “We can take a cue from some countries where vehicle movement is done in such a way that private vehicles are not allowed into residential areas, unless the drivers reside there. Introducing a congestion tax would also work. There are 1,500 bus routes in the city for the public to use them effectively, the routes must be direction-oriented as opposed to destination oriented. That is the way forward. It may mean that people may have to change more buses, but they will certainly reach faster,” says former BATF member V Ravichandar.

STRICTER LAWS:
There is no provision under the Motor Vehicle Act by which the transport department can restrict the number of vehicle registrations. However, stricter laws on registration, may be the best way out. Regulation of the number of cars per family, phasing out old vehicles and introducing a higher road tax is a possible solution. “We can ensure through regular drives and better traffic management, or through evaluating and implementing some suggestions that traffic brought more effectively under control,” says a transport department officer.” Activist Ramesh Ramanathan says, “There must be accountability on all counts. The Regional Transport Office (RTO), must be made accountable to the government.


What we could do:
Improved, multi-modal public transport
Car or bike pooling
Phasing out autos from urban areas to suburban areas
Sustainable urban transport
Banning the use of vehicles more than 15-20 years old
More ring roads and service roads