BENGALURU: While Bengaluru has a population of nearly 1.2 crore and almost the same number of vehicles, its road and parking infrastructure have remained the same. For the upcoming State Budget, mobility experts are batting for paid parking complexes and banning parking on roads and footpaths.
They argue that mobility issues can be solved by involving multiple departments, coming up with a joint strategy and setting up a common integrated infrastructure.
Traffic expert MN Sreehari said, “Roads are meant for only vehicular transport. But our roads are used for parking, which affects the free flow of vehicles. If the city’s traffic problem has to be solved, parking on roads should be banned and the upcoming budget should focus on constructing parking complexes wherever possible.”
Along with parking complexes, underground parking up to 2-3 levels should be built. All private vehicles should be parked only at these designated parking areas for a fee, Sreehari said, adding that building approvals for residential and commercial structures should be given only if they dedicate space for parking.
There is no cap on vehicle registration in RTOs. Vehicle registrations should be done only thrice a week, with a cap of 100 vehicles per day, Sreehari said. Metro’s reach should be improved and options of building elevated monorail, and cable transport from one junction to another be explored.
Mobility expert Nagesh Aras said, “Indian cities are among the world’s most congested. When commuters are stuck in traffic, their productivity is affected and precious time is wasted on roads. Congestion also causes many diseases. As a result, our city’s economy suffers a whopping Rs 47,743 crore loss every year due to congestion. Even if a tiny fraction of that amount is added to our budgets, the loss can be averted.” Traffic congestion can be avoided through many distinct measures, including urban planning, land use policy, parking policy, travel demand management and traffic flow control.
This required a concerted effort from multiple government bodies like BDA, BMRDA, DULT, BBMP, BMRCL, Railways, BTP etc. They must develop a joint strategy, and set up a common, integrated infrastructure. The government must prepare a budget to set up integrated mobility infrastructure, and also popularise public transport through economic incentives. Thus, both BMTC and BMRCL budgets (which are not strictly government budgets) must allocate money for this purpose.
BMTC must also extend its bus routes to maximise coverage of the city, instead of dropping unprofitable routes. Losses must be absorbed in the budget so that the city’s overall economy does not suffer, Aras said.