No Metro miracle likely as population explodes

No Metro miracle likely as population explodes

Only 15% of city traffic can be carried after phase i, says project head

Senthalir S. Bangalore

'Namma' Metro may lessen commuters' woes but not to the extent they think.
After the launch of its phase I, Metro will be able to accommodate only 15% of the city's traffic. Even after the commencement of phase II, it would be able to carry only 25% of traffic, Metro project and planning director BS Sudhir Chandra said.
He linked this inadequacy to the city's population which is growing at 4% per annum. By 2021, the city would have a population of 100 lakh. Rise in population and expansion of the city affected people's connectivity and forced most of them to buy motor vehicles. Today, two-wheelers, along with cars, comprise almost 90% of the total registered vehicles in the city. He said the number of two-wheelers was increasing by 17%. "Two-wheelers form 72% of the vehicle population in the city. However, the speed of vehicles has come down from 10km/hr to 12 km/hr."
The burden of easing city traffic rests with urban planners who felt that public mode of transportation was the only solution. They emphasised on the need for sustainable mass transit system. "Bangalore is a circular city and we never anticipated such a tremendous growth," said an urban transport planner, who didn't want to be named. He said the corporation did not have a traffic engineer till date.
"We haven't geared up to manage the traffic. Public transportation should be strengthened. It is the only solution. The traffic management is done by the police but the network does not support the police," he said. "If the buses are increased, there would be a space crunch in the city. And if the number of buses is reduced, there will be increase in private vehicles. That would lead to traffic congestion," the traffic planner said. He said buildings, which serve no purpose and stand in the city centre, should be removed. For IT companies and Special Economic Zones, land should be allotted outside the city.Towering challenge: Even after the commencement of phase II, Metro will be able to carry only 25% of city traffic