Yet another TRAFFIC STUDY

Yet another TRAFFIC STUDY
There have been many studies in recent years to improve the city’s traffic and public transport system. An international firm will conduct the latest such analysis. R Krishnakumar gives the details
TIMES NEWS NETWORK


Four studies in two years to ease Bangalore’s traffic bottlenecks. And most on paper.
There was B-TRAC 2010, the Comprehensive Traffic and Transportation Plan (CTTP), a study for bus rapid transport, and now the Comprehensive Traffic and Transportation Study (CTTS).
Barely a year after the government charted out an ambitious plan to ease Bangalore out of its mounting traffic rush, it’s time for another study to assess the situation. The government is now commissioning international traffic and transportation consultancy firm Wilbur Smith Associates (WSA) to conduct the CTTS for the Bangalore metropolitan region (BMR). The Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) will be the nodal agency for the study.
Just last year, the CTTP — put together by RITES — was released. Planned for Bangalore up to the year 2025, the project envisaged an investment of more than Rs 45,000 crore to put the traffic scene on track. The proposal to commission another traffic study has raised the question of exclusivity but the government is saying there’s no overlapping of plans.
The BMRDA backs the new study by reasoning that one can’t make plans for a growing city by viewing it in isolation, ignoring the expanding fringes. But the CTTP was done with the potential traffic situation in 2025 as a guideline and it did cover possibilities like extension of commuter rail to suburbs like Hosur, Tumkur and the five townships proposed by the BMRDA.
BMRDA officials told The Times of India that while the RITES report focused on passenger traffic, the new study covers goods traffic too. “It will be part of a long-term plan to strengthen the transportation infrastructure in the BMR. The possibilities of new warehouses and goods traffic terminals will be explored,’’ officials said. The work order for the study will be issued soon.
While the CTTP primarily dealt with issues in and around Bangalore and tracked solutions over a period 17 years, the proposed new survey involves a much larger canvas, according to the officials who are monitoring the two plans’ progress. M N Sreehari, traffic and transportation expert and part of the Agenda for Bangalore Infrastructure Development (ABIDe) team, said there won’t be any overlapping of plans.
“We have maintained that more than the number of studies, it’s the exclusivity of these studies that should be ensured. The impact of important projects taken up in BMR, like the satellite town ring roads, on the traffic situation will be analyzed through CTTS,’’ Sreehari said.
Study time
CTTS planned for BMR Wilbur Smith Associates to conduct study Study to focus on goods traffic as well Another in a line-up of ambitious plans Government promises exclusivity of plans
Previous surveys on city’s traffic and transportation situation
B-TRAC 2010 by the traffic police had a much-hyped launch, followed by initiatives that have made some headway as well
A technical feasibility report — for the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation — was also done for a bus rapid transport system along Bellary Road to address issues of connectivity to the new airport. But the bus rapid transport system did not take off
Comprehensive Traffic and Transportation Plan done by RITES came up with a Rs 45,000 crore project including integrated transportation systems
What will the new survey contain?
Comprehensive Traffic and Transportation Study will propose measures to ensure streamlined connectivity in BMR. Study will be taken up over 15 months. A comprehensive view of existing and projected traffic scene in the BMR will be taken. The scope of the study covers more than 8,000 sq km