12 no-auto zones in city likely

12 no-auto zones in city likely
The Times of India

Bangalore: Amid all the cacophony of unmaneagable traffic on Bangalore roads, here comes a breather. Bangalore could soon declare 12 No-Auto Zones, if a proposal mooted by the BMTC is approved.

The idea is to decongest roads and facilitate easy movement of vehicles in areas where traffic jams occur regularly. The 12 zones, which typically constitute the central business district, are still being debated by the traffic and police authorities. But as of now, their loud thinking suggests areas in the 5-km radius of Majestic, like Avenue Road, Chickpet Road, Arcot Srinivasachar Street, around Vidhana Soudha, MG Road and Residency Road.

The idea has apparently been taken from the Mumbai model, where autorickshaws are not allowed between Colaba and Mahim in the west and Colaba and Sion in the east, which constitute central districts. BMTC sources said a similar model in Bangalore will decongest roads. “We need to have homogeneous traffic if the problem of jams and slow moving traffic is to be solved. Now, different vehicles move at different speeds piling up traffic,” they said.

The proposal is awaiting clearance from the principal secretary (home). The idea is not to ban the entry of autos, but just to segregate traffic and divert the three-wheelers from arterial roads to sub-arterial roads, authorities said.

The recently constituted traffic task force is still examining the advantages of carving out no-auto zones, while agreeing that pollution will go down. But there is grumbling within the task force on the practicality of banning autos. A senior official said, “Suppose we ban autos around Majestic, we will have a law-and-order problem. Can buses provide point-to-point transport? The feasibility is still being examined.’’

Task force studying the move
Some 70,000 auto-rickshaws ply on city roads everyday There are at least 100 auto unions in the city Proposal to have 12 No-Auto Zones pending with Traffic Task Force and the government for approval