Excess population, vehicles paralyse City

Excess population, vehicles paralyse City
VIJAY TIMES NEWS

Bangalore: Consider these scenarios, which are an everyday affair: Y ou get stuck in a massive traffic jam every time you take your vehicle out; diminished water supply that makes you wonder whether you are stranded in a desert; or looking for a house that fits your pocket -- a difficult, if not impossible task.

Experts have said Bangaloreans should not be surprised that this is happening as the City’s present infrastructure is capable of catering to a maximum of 35 lakh population with eight lakh vehicle population. Whereas the actual figures show- 75 lakh population and 25.8 lakh vehicles.

M N Sreehari, Chairman, T raffic Engineers and Safety T rainers ( TEST ), points out to BDA’s projection that the City’s population would reach 90 lakh by 2015.

Flyovers will not solve the crisis.....in fact it could result in more traffic congestion in crowded areas, he says. One way to stop the increase in vehicular population is to register only 250 vehicles for two days a week, instead of regular 950 vehicles registered six days a week.

Plans for greater Bangalore, on the lines of what Navi Mumbai is to Mumbai should be mooted to decongest the City’s population.

A City that can be developed about 30 kms away with an area of 40-50 sq kms radius and has the potential of having about 40 lakh population with scope for vertical expansion, would be an ideal alternative," he says, adding that it could be developed on BOOT (buildoperate-own-transfer) basis over five to eight years depending on volume of funds available. However , it should have the necessary infrastructure like metro/mono rail, inter-city transport bus services etc.

BMTC MD, Upendra T ripathy says Our roads are capable of handling just eight lakh vehicles, but over 24 lakh vehicles ply on them. A practical solution is to make people switch over to public transport.

With the introduction of V olvo buses by early next year , we expect car and twowheeler users to commute in these hi-tech buses he says.