BENGALURU: I have always been a supporter of public transport. The city needs robust public transport. I understand that due to fear of virus, people have their inhibitions. Even the Metro is not functioning now but those issues are temporary, otherwise too I have noticed buses going empty. People commute for more than an hour to reach their offices. In the ’70s, when companies like HMT and BSR were set up, people always stayed close to office or the quarters were set by companies closer to their workspace. After the IT boom, people work in Marathahalli or Whitefield but stay in different parts of the city.
This does not just increase the traffic but also starts eating into their personal time. I understand that private companies don’t provide enough facilities for stay but people should understand the repercussions of staying so far. Parents too are keen on sending their children to schools with different facilities, which are far from their home. A child should not travel more than 3 km to reach their school.
There are around 80 lakh vehicles in the city but roads are designed for a capacity of 14-15 lakh vehicles a day. But we have around 18 lakh vehicles on the road every day. SOLUTION: We must increase the capacity of the roads, but it might not always be a good idea because there is a limit to the numbers of flyovers that can be constructed.
The only other way out is having an adequate public transport system, which is well connected to different parts of the city. The government is doing their bit with Namma Metro project. Once phase 2 and phase 3 of Metro are ready, people will have no reason to not take public transport.