After the silence of the pandemic, vehicles are back on city streets, and so is traffic chaos. And, parking has always been a perennial problem. Had the government been a little more proactive and did the infrastructure work faster, it would have made a big difference on the ground. Solving the conundrum of connectivity requires much more than a band-aid approach. Instead of working in silos, government agencies should develop coherent, results-oriented and technology-driven strategies to identify pain points and fix them efficiently. Today’s plan should become a vision for tomorrow.
“The traffic on the roads is not the same as it was 10 days ago, it is taking more time to reach a point,” said Swadit Kumar, marketing professional from his office on MG Road. The traffic police also agree that the city’s roads are getting choked up, while the TomTom Traffic Survey report pointed to a 10 percent increase in hourly congestion levels compared to June last year. People of Bangalore are paying attention to the extra time on the streets, especially during busy times, before scheduling their meetings and appointments. But the big question is why should citizens reserve more time for travel? TOI brainstormed with mobility experts, area-level traffic police and motorists to understand the reasons. Here are some:
Ongoing Infra Projects
From Namma Metro to BBMP, Smart City Limited to BESCOM, BWSSB to GAIL Gas and KPTCL, the construction activities are never ending. While many of these infrastructure projects are inevitable, the failure of the agencies in terms of coordination and planning has led to disturbances and slowing down of traffic in most parts. Already narrow roads across the city have reduced in width as agencies partially or completely blocked main carriageways, creating a nightmare for motorists. Apart from the white-topping works, the Sivananda Circle Flyover, Ejipura-Koramangala Flyover and Kundalahalli Underpass projects are some of the very delayed projects which have stalled the traffic.
reopening educational institutions
The opening of educational institutions after two years has contributed to traffic congestion, especially in CBD areas, during peak hours. Apart from school vans and buses, many parts are full of vehicles of parents dropping off and carrying their children. With most private educational institutions neither having adequate parking facilities nor allowing vehicles to enter their campuses, traffic near schools moves at a snail’s pace.
return-to-office mode
With increasing numbers of people returning to the office, traffic has increased on several main roads near tech corridors such as the Outer Ring Road, Whitefield and Electronics City. Experts recommend that companies adopt the hybrid model at least till 2025, when the Namma Metro is expected to cover most of the city’s technology corridors.
Rain problem and potholes
Rain is always painful for the drivers in the city. Due to pothole-filled, water-logged roads and fallen trees, traffic comes to a standstill in Bengaluru during rains. The failure of the BBMP to strengthen stormwater drainage networks and to de-silt existing drains is often cited as the main reasons. The Google Map of Bangalore will turn red when the clouds turn black as the traffic changes into slow motion. Many motorists want the BBMP to take immediate steps to reduce potholes and flooding. While BMTC buses are also finding it difficult to complete their journeys, there is also a severe shortage of cabs and autorickshaws during the rains.
unreliable public transport system
Many motorists say that unlike other cities, Bengaluru has fewer traffic personnel on its roads to manage traffic as most are busy collecting fines. Also, due to unreliable public transport, more people in Bengaluru are ditching their private vehicles. While buses in the tech-corridor (on the ORR) don’t run faster than cars and bikes, autorickshaw drivers rarely go by the meter, while cabs are getting infamous for canceling rides.