Metro, mono and many more

Metro, mono and many more
Vijay Times

ere is the ultimate remedy for the chaos on the roads of the burgeoning Bangalore. The chaos, though, may not end but the solution, still on the drawing boards, at least promises a faster point to point travel.

Also it buries the simmering metro versus mono battle and pitches for metro in some areas, mono in others and BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) along a 72 km stretch of ring road to supplement and complement the two rail systems.

However, it allows for continuing the endless debate on more flyovers or mere widening of roads to take the increasing traffic density.

With an impressive name - Comprehensive Traffic and Transportation Plan for Bangalore Metropolitan Area (CTTP-BMA) -- it has been in the making for 20 months and has cost to the exchequer Rs 90 lakh. Rail India Techno and Economic Services (RITES) co-ordinated the task of drawing up the master plan taking into consideration the needs of the city for the next 25 years.

A master plan on urban transportation projects is a must for any state wanting funds under JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission).

Karnataka, if the Union Urban Development Ministry approves its plan, could get as much as Rs 3,000 cr to execute it.

State officials discounted the talk that Bangalore might have lost this amount as the plan was not submitted in time. "There is no question of any deadline to avail funds," Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC) Managing Director Jawed Akthar told Vijay Times. "This is the first time any state has embarked on such a comprehensive transport master plan for a City. We are confident of it being done (submitted to the Centre) before March," Akthar said.

"We are likely to receive the CTTP in a day or two. Before forwarding it to the ministry of urban development, we have planned a workshop for further improving the CTTP.

An international expert is likely to suggest further changes to the draft report. We would incorporate the suggestions and submit it to the ministry of urban development," he said.

Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) Managing Director Upendra Tripathy agreed with Akhtar on the issue of deadline but said "The sooner we forward the report, the better. March could see several states vie for availing funds through JNNURM." On the need for a master plan RITES General Manager Imtiaz Ahmed said "The very objective of the study is to assess the relevance of the existing strategy, identify long-term consequences of pursuing alternative transport strategies, to recommend a long-term comprehensive transport plan for the city for the next 25 years and to strategise transport policy as an integral part of urban planning." The plan, he said, has taken into account all aspects of traffic requirements. "We have prepared the master plan at a macro-level for integration of all modes of transit in an "Inter Modal Mass Rapid System. For example M G Road, that is a high traffic density corridor is best suited for a metro. Likewise, Jayanagar may be recommended a mono-rail as a feeder" Imtiaz said.



4 4 Areas best suited for metro rail corridors

4 4 PHPDT (Peak-Hour-Peak-Direction-Traffic) in fut corridors

4 4 Areas where mono can supplement metro

4 4 Viability of bus rapid transit corridor

4 4 Common ticketing across multi-modal transport

4 4 Success of fly-overs based on traffic density

4 4 Review road widening proposals suggested by BBMP a

4 4 Suggest short-term and long-term pedestrian / park