Traffic Police Mull Congestion Charge For CBD

Riders face another cess blow
Traffic Police Mull Congestion Charge For CBD
The Times of India

Bangalore: If the traffic police have their way, commuters would soon have to pay and drive in the much-frequented and traffic-ridden Central Business District (CBD) roads of Bangalore.

As part of the Bangalore Traffic Improvement Project 2010, the traffic police are considering a congestion charging policy, which makes it mandatory for citizens commuting through CBD roads to pay a charge. The proposal seeks to operate thus: the congestion hours can be fixed as 7 am to 6.30 pm, Monday to Friday. A stipulated fee would be charged for those driving within the restricted central area. Citizens can either pay at gas stations, stipulated shops or, in the long run, via the internet.

But such a proposal has to clear logistical hurdles before it becomes a reality. For instance, the proposal envisages that video cameras need to be installed to scan the rear licence plates of the motorists who enter restricted roads daily. This information would then be matched each night with the database. For a traffic police force grappling with inadequate manpower and resources, this task could be Himalayan.

Consider this: with 600 vehicles getting added to the traffic juggernaut every day, congestion is a regularity and decongestion the only solution. Reasons M N Reddi, additional commissioner (traffic): “Congestion charging is a technique used to develop and popularise public transport. This is quite common in Central London; other cities in the world have taken a leaf out of this and introduced it. It’ll take some time for the concept to be regularised in Bangalore.’’

Apprehensive about the kneejerk reactions the move might elicit from the public, the traffic police are tight-lipped about when the congestion charges, if approved, would come into force.

For the record, when such a system was introduced in London, there was a strong backlash from citizens, including the London mayor.

Yet another police officer reckons that the move might face strong opposition from all sections of society. This is because citizens are already paying hefty road taxes, a barrage of cesses and they will argue that the money is not commensurate with the facilities offered, he explains.