Traffic grid can remove jams

Traffic grid can remove jams
Define Transport Authority’s Role, Asserts Ravindra
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: The recently formed Bangalore Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) is not clear about the role of stakeholders. There is no clear separation of planning and operation of the authority, making it just a committee of the BMRDA, opined former chief secretary A Ravindra.
Presenting a paper, ‘Existing governance structure for traffic management: Possible alternatives’, at a seminar, ‘Effective Traffic Management in Bangalore city’, on Friday, he said there was a pressing need for BMLTA to be awarded statutory powers to work full-time on traffic issues.
The seminar was jointly organised by DPAR and Centre for Public Policy (CPP), Indian Institute of Management (IIMB) to generate policy suggestions on traffic management in Bangalore.
The authority needs an independent secretariat with officials drawn from traffic, transport, BBMP, BDA, KSPCB and BMRDA, because BMLTA was not being taken seriously by any stakeholder, said Ravindra.
He said that currently the city police were burdened with several responsibilities and there was a lack of institutional mechanism. “There is a traffic engineering cell in the BBMP and many even do not know about it. This cell should ideally coordinate with other agencies but this is not happening. This is due to weak enforcement, which has posed a major problem.’’
Strategies include sustainable mobility (find ways to move people and information), increasing use of public transport, banning development in heavy traffic area and providing free bus services there, provision of better pedestrian ways, and building parking complexes and enforcing parking regulations.
Speaking on ‘Emerging technologies: Opportunities and implications for traffic management’, NSR-GIV cell, IIM-B, Ashwin Mahesh said there was an interlocking of problems, resulting in a chaotic mix of too many plans. “Millions of small decisions take place in this city by motorists,’’ he said.
He said that traffic can be managed in three stages — information infrastructure (updating vehicular numbers), response infrastructure (letting road users know about the traffic situation) and communication infrastructure (letting people know what decisions were made).
He also spoke of Bangalore Traffic Information System, which had been successfully implement in Hyderabad, Chennai and Delhi.
“Vehicle tracking and control system till date has been only at the official level. It is time that come at the public level,’’ added Mahesh.
Cameras to track offenders
Motorists who jump signals and overspeed cannot escape this “red eye.’’ Five traffic enforcement red light cameras have been installed at five junctions to detect offenders.
On Saturday, cameras installed at Kamraj Road-Cubbon Road junction, Hennur Road Ring Road junction, Deve Gowda petrol bunk junction, C V Ramanagar and New BEL Road junction and 24th Main JP Nagar Ring Road junction, will begin functioning.