City to get comprehensive traffic management plan

City to get comprehensive traffic management plan
The Hindu

# Entire city has been surveyed for preparing the plan
# Projects worth Rs. 1,251 crore approved

BANGALORE: Bangalore will be one of the first cities in the country to have a comprehensive transport management plan, said Jawaid Akthar, Managing Director of Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation, on Saturday.

A master plan, titled Comprehensive Transport and Traffic Plan, has been prepared by the Rail India Technical and Economic Services, he said.

He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an interactive meeting of the expert committee on Greater Bangalore with elected representatives.

One of the key suggestions of the master plan is the mode of transport that can be used in different parts of the city. "Along roads with high vehicle density, we could have the Metro Rail. On roads with slightly less density, we could have the Bus Rapid Transit (dedicated bus lanes). And on others, we could have the regular BMTC buses," Mr. Akthar said.

For the preparation of the master plan, the entire city has been surveyed over a 15-month period, Mr. Akhtar said.

It may be noted here that a comprehensive transport management plan is a requirement to be eligible for funds under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Guidelines under JNNURM state that master plan must be compliant with the specifications laid out under the National Urban Transport Policy.

Mr. Akthar said that projects worth Rs. 1,251 crore had been approved by the Centre for Bangalore under JNNURM.

The State Government had submitted projects totalling Rs. 2,000 crore under the project, he added.