
BENGALURU: Bengaluru city is witnessing a ‘flattening of peak-hour traffic’, which is why people are getting stuck on roads even during non-peak hours.
Spread of business activity across the city, increase in the number of cars and two-wheelers, bus fare hike, haphazard growth of residential areas and employment zones have led to multiple ‘origins’ and ‘destinations’, contributing to the flattening of peak period, where traffic congestion is not restricted to peak hours alone anymore, according to experts.
“I usually plan my trip avoiding peak hours so that I don’t get stuck in traffic. However, in the past few months, no matter what time I start, except for late nights and early mornings, I am not able to avoid traffic. Commuting in the city has become a headache,” Prakash Murugan, a businessman, said.
‘In 10 years, number of cars, two-wheelers doubled in city’
Giving an example of Mumbai, mobility expert from IISc Ashish Verma said, “Mumbai used to witness directional movement of traffic, with vehicles headed from North Mumbai to South Mumbai in the morning and in the reverse direction in the evening.
Traffic was only in the mornings and evenings. But now, things have changed and Mumbai is seeing traffic congestion throughout the day. The same is being witnessed in Bengaluru.
Years ago, traffic used to be at its peak between 8.30am and10am, and 5.30pm and 8pm in Bengaluru with most vehicles entering the Central Business District (CBD). Apart from peak hours, travelling to any part of the city used to be quick and easy. However, now at any given time, people are stuck in traffic and take more time to reach their destinations,” Verma said. In 10 years, the number of cars and two-wheelers doubled in Bengaluru, whereas buses have not been added in proportion to the growing population. With not many buses, people opt for personal vehicles, said Vinay Srinivasa, a member of Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike, a bus passengers’ forum.
Suggesting measures, Verma and Srinivasa said the government is encouraging private transport through its road infrastructure projects and recent bus fare hike. It has not done much to discourage private vehicles by levying congestion charges and making parking fees mandatory.