Some solutions to Bangalore traffic woes?

Garden City! Pub City! Silicon valley of India! Yes. I am talking about Bengaluru (previously called Bangalore). Ever since I was child, I was always fascinated by the temperate climate, lush greenery all around the city and the huge number of gardens, considering the size and rapid growth of the city. I am sure it is the same with most of the people who love Bengaluru. Things have changed drastically over the last 15 to 20 years. Do people still feel the same? Has the city lost its charm?

The rapid growth in the IT industry during that period of time has given a boost to the growth of the city but it has also brought unique challenges to the city. Of course the city is being improved by other industries as well.Bengaluru's human population and the vehicle population also grew in rapid way making the traffic situation difficult. The city's infrastructure did not scale up in the rapid way as it was expected to. Bengaluru is now the third populous city in India with an estimated population of around 6 million and it is the 27th most populous city in the world. Bengaluru has the highest number of 2-wheelers in the world and also holds the dubious reputation for the highest two wheeler thefts. Traffic situation has become one of the top problems in the city today. Traffic situation is only getting worse day by day giving nightmares to the people. Let me share my thoughts on the traffic situation and some solutions to the human factor of the traffic woes.

It takes hours to reach work place from home these days. The honking on the roads and long traffic jams really do get on to the nerves almost every time. If we have to reduce this traffic problems going forward, the infrastructure needs to be improved and the inflow of people into Bengaluru needs to be controlled/reduced. Infrastructure could mean anything from good quality roads, traffic signals, advanced traffic monitoring and control systems, subways, elevated over bridges above road, fly overs, metro rail project, ring roads, better bus stops and good public transport facility, underground roads, bridges, drainage systems, pot hole free roads, driver and vehicle history tracking facility, any kind of advanced facilities etc. Basically the vehicle density on the road at any point of time needs to be reduced. Considering the rate at which city is growing, if the current infrastructure is not improved and if the inflow of people is not controlled/reduced, traffic problems will only be worse 5 to 10 years down the line. Bengaluru needs to scale up without compromising on its uniqueness.

We as individuals are also responsible for better traffic conditions. How often do people follow the traffic rules? Bangalore city traffic police can only try their best to control the traffic but the real responsibility belongs to us. If all people follow the traffic rules properly, the traffic problems and accidents could be reduced to an extent. Things like vehicle speeding, zig zag driving by some 2 wheelers, pot holes in the road, jumping lanes at will, jumping signals, cabs driving at dangerous speeds considering the traffic, BMTC buses stopping the buses in the middle of the road and ending up blocking the road for others, two wheelers not following the lane discipline, roads with potholes have become a regular sight oflate.

Let me also list some statistics from Bangalore city traffic police website here to give a better idea of the traffic situation. As on 30/04/2008, the vehicle population of Bangalore stands at 3.1 million (includes 2 wheelers, cars, buses , heavy vehicles and all vehicles coming in and going out of the city) and most of the roads are operating at 2 to 3 times of their capacity. It literally corresponds to 1 vehicle for every 2 people in Bangalore. The number of vehicles are increasing at 7 to 10% rate every year (roughly 1200 vehicles per day). In India, Bangalore has the second highest number of vehicles (around 31 lakhs) after Delhi (52 lakhs) but considering the total area of Bangalore, Bangalore has the highest vehicle density in India.

Two wheelers - 70% of the vehicle population (around 2.7 million or 270 lakhs two wheelers)
Cars - 15% of the vehicle population (around 0.47 million or 4.7 lakh cars)
Autos - 4% of the vehicle population ( around 1.24 lakh autos)
Buses, vans,tempos - Remaining 8% (around 2.5 lakh vehicles)

As you can see from the statistics above, the traffic problem is not only because of the vehicles of IT professionals as some claim, as there are only around 1200 IT companies and around 7 lakh IT/BT employees (around 3.5 lakh IT and 2.5 lakh BPO employees) in Bengaluru.

These are a few suggestions from my side to reduce the traffic problems due to the human factor and the vehicle density factor. Some of the ideas could be old.

1. Different time schedules for the schools/colleges and offices:
By introducing different start and end time to the schools, colleges and offices than the usual timings which clash together, we can reduce the number of vehicles on road during the peak times. Some of the schools and offices are already following this. It would be great if all schools, colleges and offices think together on this lines and come up with some action.

2. Vehicle pooling:
As one can see from the statistics given above, 2 wheelers contribute to majority of the vehicle population on road at any time. Companies should encourage employees to pool in together and commute to office whenever possible. Though many people will prefer using the personal mode of commutation, vehicle pooling is not a bad idea from individual point of view as it will help to reduce the fuel expense per head.

3. Company /school/college buses:
Though some proposition of people use buses from company or school or college to commute, companies, schools and colleges can still encourage the people who do not use their buses to consider using them.

4. Shifting bus stops away from the junctions:
Unlike other cities, the lot of bus stops in Bengaluru are very close to the junctions/circles and it does add to further traffic problems. These bus stops needs to be shifted bit far from the junctions.

5. Diversion of (HTV) heavy transport vehicles to different route during day time:
I still wonder why the heavy transport vehicles are allowed into main city limits through some roads during day time. Authorities should consider diverting all the HTV into different route(s) from city limits during the day time or during specified time limits.

6. Enclosed metal bridge crossings above the road:
In some of the roads in Bengaluru where there is zebra crossing in the heavy traffic roads, strong enclosed metal bridge crossings (like the ones used in railway stations) can be introduced above the roads so that public can use it any time of the year (even during rains)। If the metal over bridge is in place, the zebra crossing can be closed for public. Hence public will be forced to use the enclosed metal bridge to cross roads and the road can be freely used by vehicles without traffic signals. This will save time for both the people who drive vehicles and the public who cross the roads. In the places where there is no other crossing near by, zebra crossing can be retained for the benefit the elders and people who cannot use the over bridge.

7. Big stickers/ boards in vehicles:
Big stickers or easily mountable/fixable boards (around the size of a number plate) with message in it like 'I follow the traffic rules. Do you?' (or any other catchy awareness messages) can be distributed by the Bangalore traffic police to the public. Public can display it in the back of their vehicles. Definitely when a person is waiting in traffic behind a vehicle( 2 wheeler/car) with this display board, he or she will notice the display board and it will create more awareness. The person who is displaying this display board/sticker will also feel more responsible than before. Cars can simply keep this small placard with message near the rear window for people behind to see.

8. Empower public to control traffic:
I am really happy to see the initiative from Bangalore city traffic police to install 80 cameras at different parts of the city to monitor people who jump signals and those who drive above speed limits etc. An Enforce Automation center is set up with access to records of every vehicle and its user. Every traffic inspector has been given a blackberry with access to history of the driver and the vehicle at the press of a button. However, cameras should be installed at every traffic junction like it is done in lot of abroad countries to cover the footage 24/7.

As traffic police cannot be at all places all the time and cameras are not available at every junction, people can empower themselves to control the traffic. As these days most of the people have mobile phones with cameras, as and when one notices a person breaking a law /jumping a signal or speeding or jumping lanes at will etc.., anyone can capture a picture of the vehicle (for Reg.No and proof) and mail or send it to traffic police so that traffic police can send a notice to the vehicle owner (Registration address) with fine. The fine should be also be heavy and this exercise needs to be carried out strictly by the authorities. The fear of sure punishment if one breaks the traffic rules, will definitely reduce the traffic woes to an extent.

9. Bangalore Traffic authorities to track history of violations:
The Bangalore traffic police should have proper mechanism/facilities to track the history of the vehicle, the owner and the violations. The history data should be shared with the vehicle insurance companies on demand, as insurance companies can charge the insurance premium based on the vehicle and the owner's track record. This practice is in place in lot of abroad countries. If introduced in Bangalore, this will be a good initiative to bring down the traffic problems. Point based systems on license can be brought in where once a person accumulates certain points on his license for traffic violations, the license will be cancelled and the person has to re-appear for driving license exam to take a fresh license. Lot of countries have this system in place.

10. Heavy fines:
The city traffic police should be paid very well so that the bribery on traffic laws violations can be brought down. On a violation of traffic rule, Bangalore traffic police should levy heavy fines and should be strict on collecting them. A record for the violation should be maintained for the history of the driver and the vehicle. Drunken driving and any other forms of dangerous driving should be penalized heavily.

11. Strict rules to obtain a driving license:
The rules to obtain a driving license should be made strict. This will enable the people to know the traffic rules better and will increase awareness. In UK, one has to clear a theory exam to be eligible to take a practical driving test to obtain a driving license. The practical driving test is so strict and tough that people often celebrate it as a big occasion when they clear the driving test.

12. Subways:
In the major traffic junctions, subways could be set up so that it will help the pedestrians to go to the otherside of the road by underground easily and it will ease the traffic as well. The zebra crossings right next to the subways should be closed so that the public will use the subways effectively

13. Double deck buses:
Double deck buses could be used more in Bangalore and can be operated in the routes where there are no vehicle height problems. I believe most of the roads would support the height of the double deck buses and few double deck buses are already operating in some routes. These buses can commute more people and it can reduce the number of vehicles on the road to some extent. Double deck bus is not a common sight in most of the cities in India and hence these buses will also bring a new charm to the city.

14. Namma Metro rail project should be speeded up:
Karnataka government should intervene in the 'Namma Metro' rail project which is running 9 months behind schedule as of now and should speed up the project so that it could be completed as soon as possible without any further delays। The phase 1 (33kms) of Namma metro is supposed to become functional by late 2010 or late 2011. The sooner the project starts, the better it is for the public. Metro rail project will definitely reduce the number of vehicles on the road and will give solutions to atleast few of the existing traffic problems. Namma Metro team should make sure that once the Namma Metro project is complete, the trees and greenery removed due to construction space, is atleast partially restored by planting saplings where ever it is possible.

15. Shift the focus to other cities as well:
For the long term benefit, government should also focus more upon promoting the companies and new projects to set their bases in the other cities in India (Tier I and Tier II cities). By doing this the inflow of population into Bangalore will reduce which will help in controlling the traffic situation in long run and even the other cities in will also improve.

P.S: The points mentioned in this post are just my opinions out of concern and are written to bring awareness of the existing situation.