The State government has declared in its Budget that its primary objective is to make Bengaluru the world’s most livable city. The vision is certainly welcome and deserves appreciation. However, the actual action plan on urban mobility presented in the Budget appears far from being in sync with this goal. It raises an important question: does policy direction truly reflect what makes a city livable?
A central concern is the continued and excessive focus on road infrastructure expansion and capacity addition. The Budget outlines extensive investments in roads across the State. For instance, 1,846km of roads are proposed to be developed in 2026-27 under Stage-II of the State Highway Development Project at a cost of Rs 5,000crore. While infrastructure investment is important, simply expanding road capacity rarely solves congestion in the long run. On the contrary, it often induces more traffic. Such an approach risks becoming a colossal waste of public money if it neither addresses traffic problems nor improves the quality of urban life.
What matters more is how roads are designed and built -- ensuring high standards of workmanship, durability and comprehensive road safety provisions should be the priority.
One positive announcement in the Budget is the proposed 9-km pedestrian walkway along Outer Ring Road. If implemented well, it could significantly improve the walking environment along one of the city’s busiest corridors. However, details are still awaited. More importantly, the overall allocation for pedestrian infrastructure remains abysmally low when compared to spending on road expansion.
Public transport also received relatively little emphasis in the city’s context. The Budget announced the Rs 2,000-crore Karnataka Electric Bus Programme, supported by the World Bank, under which 4,000 electric buses will be inducted and 32 BMTC depots, besides 62 depots of other State transport corporations, will be developed.