Needed: Out-of-the-jam SOLUTIONS

Needed: Out-of-the-jam SOLUTIONS
POINT 4: Design and implement attractive mass transport systems so more and more people shift to them
TIMES NEWS NETWORK


Everybody dreads the rush hour — to reach offices and schools and the central business district. The crucial question being asked is: How to cut travel time?
The time for short-term, knee-jerk measures like one-ways and diversions seems to be over as traffic density is increasing and Bangalore itself expanding vastly. The need is now long-term plans and policies and a transport network that will connect people from end to end and within the city centre seamlessly, with hubs that offer a variety of transport options including bus, metro rail, autorickshaws and taxis. The new government, along with the departments concerned, will have this healthy transport mix on top of their agenda when they try to ease the logjam.
So, what are the solutions?
Additional Commissioner of Police (traffic and security) Praveen Sood points out that the Comprehensive Traffic and Transportation Plan (CTTP) passed in 2007 needs to be implemented. The 20-year plan allows for infrastructure development to ease traffic congestion.
He sees planned development of infrastructure in and around the city, more underpasses and ring roads and a mass transportation system as the three-point agenda to decongest Bangalore. “The mass transport system has to be so attractive that all vehicle users are persuaded to shift to it. It should be on time and a highly dependable and reliable enterprise,’’ says Sood. He also suggests proper delineation of the chaotic traffic.
Initiatives like B-TRAC, a traffic plan formulated during the previous government’s tenure, have set a template for decongestion plans. A policy-level back-up will now take these plans to action. BMTC MD Upendra Tripathy suggests the formulation of a new comprehensive transport policy.
“We should have a policy that will make a clear difference between the transport needs of urban and suburban areas. Once that is clear, we can have a blueprint for Bangalore’s transport scene. The blueprint should look at three aspects: traffic, transport and urban planning,’’ says Tripathy.
He explains that if you have bad urban planning, it will hit traffic and transportation systems and if you have excess traffic, it may hurt planning. If both are done together, we can have traffic and transportation networks that suit Bangalore, he says.
Tripathy also suggests a study of the geographical space before devising a transport system.
If you have an idea of how much space you have, then you can work out the relevant transport system. Singapore is an example: A small city that has a fantastic mass transit system.
Traffic expert Prof M N Sreehari suggests the study of school and college timings and office work hours to plan mass transport.
This entails a study of peak hours — what are the areas where traffic peaks and at what time. An appropriate mode of transport can be devised depending on distance and timings.
A good, inter-connected bus system, metro rail that reaches point to point over short and long distances and autorickshaw and car-pooling are three aspects that experts suggest the new government could look into.
The frequency of these should be so high to ensure that there is a move away from the use of private vehicles. CTTP ON PAPER
In the Comprehensive Traffic and Transportation Plan (CTTP), mass transport systems have been proposed on various corridors considering the expected traffic demand by 2025. Available road right-of-ways and system capacity are also examined.
Metro, monorail/LR, bus rapid transport (BRT), commuter rail Augmentation of bus fleet, more grid routes, TTMCs New bus stations/bus shelters, inter-city terminals, additional depots Enhanced IT/HRD infrastructure Environment-friendly initiatives Transport system management measures Footpaths, skywalks/ subways, pedestrian zones, cycle tracks New roads, connection of missing links, widened roads, grade separators More parking zones, integrated freight complexes