BENGALURU: The state government is not averse to introducing the alternate day odd/even number vehicle registration rule in Bengaluru to mitigate the city’s traffic woes. Admitting that managing the city’s traffic was a great challenge, Home Minister G Parameshwara told reporters during an informal chat on Wednesday that around 58 lakh vehicles ply on the city’s roads, of which 32 lakh are two-wheelers. He said the numbers are increasing by the day.
According to figures from the Regional Transport Organisation, the number of motor vehicles registered every day in Bengaluru is higher than in Delhi, where the odd/even rule will be implemented from January 1, 2016. The Delhi government was forced to implement the rule due to increasing traffic which was polluting the city’s air, prompting the Delhi High Court to compare the city’s air to a gas chamber. Parameshwara said the state government had taken several measures to ease traffic snarls in the city. “We plan to revamp the existing Bengaluru Traffic Task Force headed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah,” he said.
The revamped task force will have greater representation and will include the Department of Infrastructure, Urban Development and other civic agencies, Parameshwara added. Admitting to a shortage of police personnel to handle traffic, he said, “In the next two years, we will recruit around 16,000 police personnel and a majority of them would be deployed in the city.”
“At the same time, we are drawing up plans to improve infrastructure facilities, including elevated roads to ease traffic,” Parameshwara said. He also said authorities are preparing a comprehensive road-map of the city and are in the process of identifying dense traffic areas where special attention will be given to ensure smooth flow of traffic.
“Authorities have noticed the snail’s pace of traffic near the Central Silk Board junction and are working out plans to improve it,” he said.