‘The answer is in corridors…’

‘The answer is in corridors…’
The traffic on the city roads is getting heavier by the day. The number of vehicles on the roads is far more than what they were built to accommodate. After flyovers and grade separators, apart from the ring roads, it is now a ‘corridor’ that’s being thought of. K V R Tagore, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), explains what this entails and outlines some plans the traffic police have drawn up to streamline traffic and ease snarls
The Times of India


Traffic is a major issue in the city today. How will the Core Ring Road work?

The Core Ring Road (CRR) will be developed between the Inner Ring Road and the Central Business District (CBD). This road is not a new one. It involves widening the existing roads into two ways with four lanes. There will be no signal lights on these roads. This means traffic here will move non-stop. The concept is a 24-km corridor that will allow only left turns. At all major junctions, grade separators will be developed. The main objective of this project is to create a way around the CBD that makes it possible for those passing by to other areas to take this route and reach their destination without having to enter the CBD localities. They need not get caught in the traffic signals and traffic at cross roads unnecessarily. This CRR project will create a passageway for free movement of traffic from one corner of the city to another. For example, for someone going from Jayanagar to Ulsoor, it takes around 45 minutes to reach. They have to pass through 18 junctions in just the CBD areas they go through. Once this corridor is ready they can reach Ulsoor in just 15 minutes. This is a huge saving in time and fuel. Some of the localities the corridor will connect are Ulsoor, Frazer Town, Miller's Road, Jayamahal Road, Mekhri Circle, C V Raman Road, Yeshwanthpur Circle, Sirsi Circle, Minerva Circle, Hosur Road via Bangalore Dairy Flyover, Bannerghatta Road and Richmond Road. However, this does not mean that vehicles are not going to be allowed into the CBD. We are only planning to create this corridor to decongest the CBD and ensure that it is free of traffic snarls caused by unnecessary traffic not headed for a destination there.

What sort of measures are you looking at in the long run?

In the days to come we are looking at multi-level parking lots. These can involve commercial development as part of the package. This commercial development will mean a return on investment for the developer. That will be an incentive to develop these parking lots. This is a dire need. Another plan is to create systems for directional lane discipline. Dedicated lanes are not possible here because we have 36,000 junctions in the city and 18,000 small roads. Directional lane discipline will enhance safety and speed of traffic flow. We also have plans to use thermoplastic paints to demarcate lanes. These last for as long as four years.

How good are flyovers and underpasses?

These will not solve the problem of traffic congestion. They only eliminate congestion in certain junctions where it is needed. There is a change in the thinking now. The answer is development of 'corridors'. An example is the road above road project on Hosur Road. This road on Hosur Road will lead directly into Electronic City. It will ease the traffic congestion all along Hosur Road till Electronic City. Such corridors need to be developed.

Are you planning for the future in terms of infrastructure, manpower and technology?

The staff strength as on today should be 4,500. The sanctioned strength is 1,850. Against this we have 1,350. We have 2,000 posts sanctioned and await the government order. This apart we have written to the government for enhancement of traffic offence fines. We propose doubling fines for offences that cause accidents such as drunken driving and reckless driving. The men on the field will get more powers. We are also going in for better technology. Alcohol meters to test levels of intoxication are being acquired. Speed vision cameras to check speed are being acquired too. Simputers will maintain history of traffic offences by vehicle owners and driving licenses will be cancelled for repeated dangerous offences. Last year, we booked 3.7 lakhs cases. This year, till date, we have already booked 3.65 lakh cases. The number of accidents in 2003 was 10,505. In 2004 it dropped to 9,101. This year it is 4,421 so far. This shows an improvement in traffic conditions. While in 2004 we collected Rs 12.5 crores in fines, this year we have already collected Rs 11.6 crores so far.