Comprehensive traffic plan in a week

Comprehensive traffic plan in a week
By Monica Jha, DH News Service, Bangalore:
Comprehensive Traffic and Transportation Plan (CCTP) gives utmost importance to public transport as it's effective, efficient and economical, said MD of Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC), Javed Akhtar.

KUIDFC is about to release the CTTP for Bangalore in a week’s time, with which Bangalore will become the first city in India to have a plan for smooth traffic for the whole city, Mr Akhtar said. The only way out for Bangalore to solve the traffic problems is to improve to the public mode of transport system, he added.

CCTP suggests the mode of traffic for each area depending on the volume of traffic after a detailed survey. It also suggests road widening, corridors for flyovers, no-vehicle zones, mono and metro rails, heavy and light bus services for certain areas.

On what mode would work for M G Road and surrounding areas, Mr Akhtar said, “M G Road has already been identified for metro. Encouraging public transport in these areas might help the condition.”

One mode of public transport won’t be enough for Bangalore. A single integrated system of many modes like metro rail, BMTC bus services like express, volvo, regular, limited stop buses and autorickshaws, said Mr Akhtar.

MD, BMTC, Upendra Tripathy, said banning private vehicles and using only public transport (metro, BMTC buses and auto) in M G Road would help the traffic problems in this area. BMTC is ready to provide buses every five minutes and bus stops at a distance of 300 metres on M G Road, Mr Tripathy said.

Turning M G Road and Brigade Road into pedestrian zones could be the other way. For this, shops and roads must be on the same level, he added. “In Delhi, during metro work, private transport was banned in the area, where work was on but in Bangalore, public transport is banned,” said Mr Tripathy.

However, ACP, Traffic, East, M B Mallikarjuna Swamy, said, “Banning private vehicles and depending only on the public transport is not a workable suggestion. There will be a big hue and cry from the public for private transport.”

All the agencies concerned with the issue must work out a solution together. A policy decision has to be made by the Government, Mr Swamy added.

The only solution can be road networking, roads over roads and flyovers over flyovers like Bangkok, Mr Swamy emphasised.

Many global players can come forward if the State Government invites a global tender. The flyovers should connect the outskirts of the city, passing through the central and busy parts of the city. The Build- Operate- Own- Transfer (BOOT) system would work for such networking, Mr Swamy added.