BIG IDEAS FOR BANGALORE – 11 TRANSPORTATION

BIG IDEAS FOR BANGALORE – 11 TRANSPORTATION
Synchronize systems to maximize Metro use
Lakshmi Yendapalli and Saurabh Laddha write about an integrated approach to traffic management


There is hardly any city in India that has public transport facilities even remotely comparable to the best in the world. If we consider Bangalore, touted as the IT capital of the world, then we face the stark reality of a transport system which is bursting at the seams.
As of 2006, Bangalore’s population was 6.6 million, which has almost doubled every two decades. This growth is accompanied by a ten-fold increase in the number of vehicles to 2.9 million. As expected, this sudden mushrooming of vehicles has resulted in high congestion on the roads, along with increased pollution and accidents. Road congestion is so bad that people spend an hour and more to reach their offices, barely a few kilometres away from their homes. The permitted noise level of 55-65 dB has been breached, and it is now reported to be hovering around 80-92 dB. Respiratory problems caused by air pollution are becoming commonplace. Every one child in three suffers from bronchitis, asthma and wheezing. Besides, on an average, two persons get killed and 18 are injured every day due to traffic-related accidents.
The Bangalore Metro is but one step to address this multitude of problems, by reducing the number of vehicles on the road, pollution and accidents to some extent. The overall savings, including time and fuel costs, amount to thousands of crores per annum.
The project has an economic rate of return significantly higher compared to the internal rate of return. This difference clearly highlights that the intangible socio-economic benefits far outweigh the financial gains. But despite these feel-good factors, the Metro is far from being the ideal solution and is riddled with its own share of problems.
It’s already one-and-a-half years behind schedule and the current design can handle only 15% of the current vehicular traffic by 2011. Also, the current plan does not cater to some high-density areas in the city. People residing in these areas would have to travel considerable distances to reach the nearest Metro station.
But the biggest of these problems could be the lack of coordination within various authorities in the city. The road and rail transport authorities are operating in silos, so that a commuter who wishes to travel by multiple modes of transport has no way of getting all the information at one place.
It is important that an integrated approach — where the entire management of the public transport should be given to an independent body or maybe to a private company — is taken to address the city’s public transport needs from a longterm perspective.
A good case study is the city of Prague. Here, Prague Public Transport Inc. looks after the entire public transport system of the city and nearby regions. In Bangalore, the proposed entity could formulate an integrated approach to public transport management by coordinating with the road transport and Metro (Metro and Mono-rail) authorities. This will allow an integrated system, wherein the bus, Metro and monorail timings are in sync.
For example, in Prague, where even if each source-destination pair are not connected directly or if the modes of transport available from source are not the modes to reach the destination, the timings of different modes of transport and the overlap is such that there are always intermediate stops available from where you can find a connecting mode to the destination without losing time in between.
To summarize though, the public transport problems of Bangalore are aplenty. Bangalore Metro is a welcome initiative, but as highlighted, it can’t address all the problems. An integrated approach as outlined here is one of the ways to address the broader traffic problems. If adopted properly, it can pave way for building a world-class public transport system in line with Bangalore’s status as the Silicon Valley of India. Besides, the approach suggested here need not be restricted to Bangalore, but should be used for all other big cities to develop an infrastructure which will be on a par with cities like Prague or London.
(The writers are students of
IIM-Bangalore) EXPERTSPEAK
The traffic problem needs to be tackled with long-term plans instead of going for quick-fix methods. Common ticketing system should be introduced for BMTC buses and Metro Rail commuters to promote mass transportation. The Metro has to be extended to the periphery of the city so that people don’t come into the city. Roads in Bangalore have to be widened without political interference and service roads provided along arterial roads for smooth flow of vehicles. Adequate compensation should be given to private property owners to convince them to part with their property for road widening and other proposals like Metro. C E G Justo | FORMER PROFESSOR OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
Mass transportation modes like electric train, Metro rail and BMTC should be integrated and strengthened to streamline traffic. One-ways should be enforced properly and flow of traffic on main roads or arterial roads should not be affected. Vehicles should be allowed to take compulsory left turns instead of cutting through traffic on main road before taking a ‘U’ turn. A comprehensive origin and destination (O&D) study should be conducted in greater Bangalore to assess the transportation requirements.
M R Rajashekar | LECTURER, DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, RV COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
FEEDBACK
Readers respond to last week’s BIG IDEA
Monitor BMTC drivers
The behaviour of BMTC staff towards its commuters is quite satisfactory. But, its driving leaves a lot to be desired. For example, its drivers stop buses beside each other at busstops and end up blocking three-fourths of the roads and causing unwanted traffic jams. In an effort to reduce congestion on the roads, BMTC stops have been relocated on important roads. But buses continue to stop at the old places, thus defeating the purpose of relocation. Since the buses have been fitted with door closers, entry of commuters at unauthorised placed has been controlled. BMTC buses often jump signals at will. The drivers should be booked for such offences. Continuous monitoring by BMTC authorities will help road users in a big way. D Sekharan | via e-mail
Widen roads
Most car drivers are disciplined but if they’re not, they should be disciplined by strict enforcement of police / RTO rules. All main roads and arterial roads should be made Agrade quality and widened to the extent possible. Traffic should compelled to use present 8-10 cross roads internally before reaching the next access to arterial / main roads. Cars should be permitted for ownership to only those with parking lots in their compounds. Except for those people who provide free car parking spaces for their employees / customers, all busy areas should be brought under pay-and-park system. Make parking charges mandatory and very high in very dense areas. Permit autorickshaws only into non-CBD and non-dense areas. Reintroduce annual road tax system for new vehicles so that the revenue can be increased. M R Madhava Rao | via e-mail