Flyovers adding to chaotic traffic, says expert

Flyovers adding to chaotic traffic, says expert

The Hindu

Proposes building of more number of sidewalks

# Flyovers in the city have not been planned to prevent criss-crossing of traffic
# Converting central business district into pedestrian walkways favoured
# Sidewalks will help in reducing accidents involving pedestrians

BANGALORE: The city needs more number of sidewalks than flyovers. Construction of flyovers will only add to the chaos in management of traffic in the city, according to Setty Pendakur, a consultant on World Bank-aided urban and rural transportation projects in China, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Speaking on urban transport issues at a workshop on "Management of urban environment: practices and problems" here on Sunday, Mr. Pendakur said the flyovers constructed in the city have not been planned to prevent criss-crossing of traffic.

Taking the case of the flyover at Residency Road, Mr. Pendakur said: "You can only use this flyover to avoid traffic on a section of Double Road. As you come down the flyover and enter the Residency Road, you join the normal traffic, which leads to interruptions in traffic movement. Using this flyover saves you about five minutes that you used to spend on the old road." He said that a flyover also increases sound pollution.

Instead of building flyovers, the Government should go for building more number of sidewalks, which are useful to many people. "Having sidewalks will make people walk on it freely without entering the roads and disrupting traffic movement. This will reduce the number of accidents that pedestrians suffer," he said. He was also in favour of making central business district, which includes Brigade Road and Mahatma Gandhi Road, as pedestrian walkways.

Mr. Pendakur did not spare the Bangalore Development Authority, which is involved in planning and developing the city. "The BDA has remained as a real estate agency. It has not gone for providing social infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and parks, before allotting sites. Having such infrastructure near their houses will make people avoid using the busy roads," he said. Mr. Pendakur said the development authorities in Vancouver are going for social infrastructure before allotting sites.

In the daylong seminar organised by the BMS College of Engineering, papers on Urban water supply and drainage, Urban waste management, Energy and environment, and GIS and remote sensing applications, were presented.