Charge a fee, free the road

Charge a fee, free the road
The city is bursting with traffic. Will a congestion fee work?
The Times of India

BANGALORE’S important roads are alive and more, with traffic. At the same time, they are dead. Right royal dead. In the sense that their volume capacity ratio has exceeded permissible limits and hence, their level of service (los) is poor. A survey done by Traffic Engineers and Safety Trainers (TEST) recorded the volume capacity ratio for 19 roads at peak hours, and the statistics are discouraging. What’s the solution? A congestion charge, as suggested by the Bangalore Traffic Improvement Project (BTIP) 2010?

Simply put, volume refers to actual vehicular movement, while capacity is the number of vehicles a road can take. Says Prof MN Sreehari, chairman, TEST, “The highest volume capacity ratios were recorded for Peenya NH4 at 2.96, Hosur Road at 2.62, Sampige Road at 2.61 and Airport Road at 2.34.” (See box).

Ideally, this should be 1. If above 1.2, it means the road is dead; 2 means there’s no space at all, which is what it is in Bangalore, at peak hours. A possible solution is charging a congestion fee. Says Chetan Maini, who heads an automobile company, and who’s seen it work in Singapore and London, it’s a good idea. “It will encourage car pooling, people will think twice before using cars. If the charge is time-related, workplaces may stagger work, so that traffic is even through out the day, and there will be no rush hour traffic. If the cars are allowed entry up to a certain point, people can travel up to there and car pool.” Some countries have gone beyond the congestion charge, he says. They also look at pollution, so they exempt electric vehicles.

However, SC Karigowda, former chairman, Institute of Town Planners, Karnataka Regional Chapter, says a congestion charge will not work in Bangalore. “There are not enough alternative roads. It’s worked in Singapore, it has alternative transport.”

But MN Sreehari says that despite banning autos and cycles on some roads, congestion hasn’t decreased. In the case of Residency Road, it’s 1.96 despite the one-way rule. When the situation is beyond all that, the only hope is the congestion charge. A step beyond even that is mass public transportation.

Cities with a congestion fee

Singapore has been charging a fee since 1974. The reduction in volume was 73 per cent. In London, the reduction brought on by charging a fee was 12 per cent. The average car speed increased by 20 per cent. In Trondheim, Norway, all the approach roads to the city were closed off. Toll booths were put in place. Oslo, Norway, also installed the automated booths to handle the tolls.

How it works:
According to the BTIP, drivers can pay the charge through internet, at shops, at gas stations. A number of video cameras must be installed to scan rear licence plates of motorists who enter the restricted areas. This info will be matched every night with the data base.

VOLUME CAPACITY RATIO OF ROADS IN THE CITY

Ideally, the volume capacity ratio should be less than 1. If it’s 0.2, the level of service (los) is excellent; if it’s 0.4, the los is good; if it’s 0.6, it’s average, but 0.8 is bad, 1 is worse. Even 1.2 is allowable under extreme circumstances, as, say, when a rock concert gets over and all the vehicles spill on to the roads at once. When it crosses 1.2, a road is dead.

JC Road 1.81
Hosur Road 2.62
Airport Road 2.34
MG Road 1.11
Cubbon Road 0.92
Nrupatunga Road 1.94
Old Madras Road 2.06
Chord Road 0.74
Museum Road 0.69
Raja Ram Mohan Roy Road 0.80
Residency Road 1.96
Richmond Road 2.01
Sampige Road 2.61
Margosa Road 1.86
Infantry Road 1.88
Race Course Road 2.46
Peenya 2.94
St Mark’s Road 2.09
Bull Temple 1.36