No way to go

No way to go
Carpooling seems to be an ideal solution to ease traffic congestion, feel experts
R Krishnakumar | TNN

Bangalore: One car, one person. One car, four persons. In a strapped-for-space metropolis, the second equation becomes a default option. But things don’t move in the right lane in Bangalore. Precisely why alternatives like carpooling have taken time to find mass endorsement. With more awareness among the public and encouragement from the government, car pooling can prove effective in easing Bangalore’s bottlenecks, feel traffic experts.
In July 2000, software engineer Navratan Kataria put together an online carpooling group for the city. Eight years later, the group has more than 400 members and is growing. The idea of organized carpooling, though, is yet to make headway in Bangalore, says Kataria.
“It’s by and large seasonal... for instance, there is more action in the group during the rains. There aren’t many people who do organized carpooling in the city,’’ he says.
Kataria, who moderates the group — carpool-bangalore@yahoogroups.com — says he ensures that the identity verification is done with no room for error, considering the safety issues involved.
In corporate companies, car-pooling is still catching on. “Though there is the office pickup, there are days when you can’t make it on time. If there are others who also prefer travelling later with people they know, we take turns to pool in for the trips,’’ says Sujith, a senior consultant with an MNC IT company.
Other online groups have also taken a cue and offered space for carpoolers in the city, complete with preferences such as all-female groups and non-smoking groups. For the nonnetizens though, the idea has been there for long. From school drops and pick-ups to the weekly movie outing, carpooling has been on for years in residential neighbourhoods and apartment complexes.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Security) Praveen Sood feels that the initiative has to come from the people. “Carpooling can’t be mandated by the law since it has to be an initiative for the people, by the people. I’m a strong supporter of the idea because it ensures saving fuel, doing away with driving hassles and incidentally, decongesting the roads,’’ says Sood.
Experts don’t have doubts about the potential of carpooling in the city either. Traffic consultant Prof M N Sreehari points out that a large number of four-wheeler work trips happen along Hosur Road, Airport Road, Outer Ring Road, Mysore Road and Sarjapur Road. “While a car can take four persons, the average car occupancy on these roads is just 1.5,’’ says Prof Sreehari. With around 35 lakh registered vehicles (including around 5.5 lakh fourwheelers) moving on Bangalore’s roads, it’s time to extend incentives for carpoolers, feels the consultant.
Sood agrees that the government can look at incentives like dedicated fast track lanes — a model adopted in a few cities in the US — for car-poolers but adds that in Bangalore, it’s still too early for the concept to ensure such sops.