[sustran] Elevation won't take us far

[Vinay Baindur]

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/538275/elevation-wont-take-us-far.html




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*Elevation won't take us far*

Rasheed Kappan, Apr 03, 2016, DHNS

Low build quality, lower utility value, guaranteed delays and cost
over-runs of mammoth proportions. Bengaluru’s road infrastructure projects
should have taught lessons galore in mismanagement to the government. But,
in its rush to build more elevated corridors of questionable utility, has
the State cold-shouldered long-term sustainable transport solutions to
decongest Bengaluru?

Urban mobility analysts and a few government insiders themselves are
convinced that the high cost flyovers cannot solve the city’s acute traffic
congestion. Flyovers might offer temporary relief for a few years, but only
after trapping commuters in a twister of construction-linked traffic chaos
for long. Eventually, every new lane gets filled up with cars and SUVs.
That just doesn’t seem logical!


*Costly projects*
Yet, six new corridors with long stretches of them elevated, are in the
pipeline. Besides, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) is all set to
invite tenders for a 6.7-km elevated corridor connecting Basaveshwara
Circle and Hebbal Junction.

The estimated cost of this project is a whopping Rs. 1,350 crore, ready for
completion only in two years. When it was first announced in the State
budget, the estimated cost was only Rs 1,000 crore.

The objective is clear: Create more road space for motorised private
vehicles, whose numbers have been unrelentingly explosive. An estimated 56
lakh vehicles are packed into the city’s estimated 10,200 km of road
length. Creating more corridors for them would simply mean incentivizing
more cars, more private transport.

Seeking a shift from this policy skewed heavily in favour of motorized
transport, an online petition on Change.org has urged the Chief Minister to
stop the project. The petitioner, Sathya Sankaran reasons, with particular
reference to the Hebbal junction project, “This elevated road will be full
the day it is finished building and will not alleviate any traffic jams.”

The corridor, says Sankaran, will, in fact, move the jams to Hebbal as seen
by the elevated highway on the NHAI side. “You have to come to the surface
somewhere and you know it is not a cakewalk at that point.”


*Reservations within govt*
It is learnt that the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) attached
to the State Urban Development Department is itself against building more
elevated corridors. DULT, sources say, wants the government to push for
sustainable options such as more public transport buses and bus priority
lanes. Corridors cannot be a solution, augmenting mass transit systems is.

Three years ago, a government-appointed committee had shot down the
proposal for another elevated corridor project passing through Koramangala.
It was based on a study by the IISc Centre for infrastructure Sustainable
Transportation and Urban Planning (CiSTUP) that cited high costs, traffic
management problems and ‘division of communities’ in the vicinity.

Existing flyovers are clear proof that elevation does not necessarily
decongest traffic. A flyover merely transfers traffic load from the entry
point to the exit point, triggering chaos elsewhere. For instance, the
poorly designed and executed Richmond Circle flyover bears testimony to
this fact. Speeding vehicles alight the Electronic City elevated corridor
only to face the congestion at the Silk Board junction. This scenario
recurs at the Esteem Mall junction.

Underneath most elevated monsters, the roads are left to rot as though
people down there are not worth any good infrastructure. The petition draws
attention to a recent statement by Union Minister for Road Transport that
building 55 flyovers in Mumbai has not solved any problem there.


*No transparency*
Lack of transparency is another issue. Public consultation is not part of
the process, although commuters are subjected to tremendous inconveniences
during and after the construction. Projects are decided and pushed through
despite experts clearly advising the government against the massive
pillar-laying projects.
 Why the fixation with unsustainable projects? A Sadashivanagar resident
and a cyclist for 15 years, Dasarathi G V, puts the blame squarely on the
greed for kickbacks. “Flyovers and such massive projects are a constant
source of bribery. It is a very big income, when the kickbacks could go up
to 40 per cent.”

As a citizen, Dasarathi terms the corridor proposal a ‘very bad idea.’ He
explains, “We should be reducing the number of vehicles rather than
catering to them. In the last two decades, we have been building these
elevated corrirdors. There will come a time soon when all of these will be
choked.”


8 Comments
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 vadakkus • 10 hours ago

The issue is the government consists of ex-poor and middle class people
from rural backgrounds who are fascinated with cars and road vehicles, just
like the neo-middle class. They think and consider public transport fit
only for those who have ended up as non-achievers in life, because
successful people drive cars! And hence, do not push for comprehensive
public transport systems. This elevated road nonsense is dumb. We cannot
build ourselves out of traffic jams, as it has been shown repeatedly across
the world. No city can survive with only car-based transit. Bangaloreans
should have realized that long ago, but alas! The love for the car
overshadows everything.

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Asha Chacko  vadakkus • 8 hours ago

You are right 100 pc. many people are bambozzled by cars and flyovers. The
fact of the matter is that the CAR IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM. The solution is
buses and not gizmos like the Metro. The Metro will be a failure in Indian
cities as the masses cannot afford it. So the only way out is the plain,
ordinary bus. They must be introduced in sufficient number in cities all
over India. The RTCs like the BMTC has failed completely as they exist only
for their employees. All taxes on buses must be removed and shifted to cars
and two wheelers. The cost of the bus ticket must be brought down to
maximum extent possible to make it affordable to the masses. That will
solve India's urban transport problem.


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JKPKJ Chang • 5 hours ago

Instead of elevated expressways for cars, elevated foot-paths
(foot-bridges, sky-walks) for pedestrians, and cycle-paths for cyclists,
will go a long way in solving Bangalore's traffic problems. Such elevated
foot-paths for pedestrians will provide last mile connectivity, and needs
to be integrated with public transportation (bus, metro) stops.

This proposal will cost much less money, and be much of much more benefit.
The project implementation cost, as well as, the ongoing maintenance cost,
will be comparatively much, much less.

Will this idea interest the decision makers (politicians in power) and the
business-contract people associated with them?


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Ravindra Reddy • 13 hours ago

Do Internet Baghya, free wifi Internet 512K for everybody in Bangalore.
No need to commute, work from anywhere you want. The govt has to look at
using technology, some work (not labor intesive work) can be done from home
and from remote locations.
Govt should develop really fast 10 GB multi-story buildings in different
parts of the city at strategic locations, or every house must have 10GB
fast internet connections for a very low price.
Using Virtual Conferencing anybody can be anywhere, you don't need to
physically travel on the road.
Govt should also think of reducing the traffic on the roads and the only
way this can be done is using the information highway, using optic fiber
connections to every house and at least 25% of the traffic can be reduced,
in the future more and more people will take the information highway.
Only goods have to be transported on the roads, people can be anywhere it
does not matter. For banking, Govt office works and many place where only
documents are used it can all be done via the internet staying anywhere you
want there is really no need to travel.
Siddaramihya give Internet baghya for everyone, you are taxing the people
so much and giving all the baghyas to everybody give some baghya the
Internet baghya for all people.
Make 512Kb free wifi for everybody, you have to pay only for 10GB fiber
connection.
This will reduce the traffic by at least 25% eventually, build information
highways.


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Dave Lawson  Ravindra Reddy • 12 hours ago

ppl still prefer to live in one corner and travel across city to work in
another part of city.

So your solution will not work. The Real solution is to convert railways to
commuter /suburban train cost 20 crore /km, instead of pushing overpriced
Metro that cost 280 crore / km.

Plus more Buses Plus lower cost last mile transport. Bike taxi would have
addressed this perfectly , but as usual the demented govt has no rule to
License so what do they do ban them.

Most ppl using car / 2 wheeler use it bcoz autos / taxis are too costly for
short distances where Buses do not go. If Bike taxi or even E-rikshaw are
allowed with Rs 10 minimum + Rs 5 per km more ppl will use it and quit
using vehicles.

And once the last mile has been addressed then govt can start charging
congestion tax on each car users based on cost of car . Plus random
pollution check on 4 wheelers and pollution penalty if they are polluting
more than allowed limit.
It will reduce pollution and congestion.
Govt has made E-bikes tax free , and govt should do it for hybrid E-bikes
too.

This is how you solve the problem by taking multi pronged approach.


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ravindra kumar  Dave Lawson • 4 hours ago

How can you say Internet Bhagya will not work without even trying,
information highway will partly reduce traffic at the cheapest cost, it is
most coat effectively. I talking about virtual holographic teleportation,
it uses virtual reality. Microsoft will add this to Skype within this year.
Internet Bhagya will defiantly reduce at least 20% of the traffic on the
roads.
Metro will reduce traffic by 5%
Your ideas amay also work


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Dave Lawson  ravindra kumar • 4 hours ago

There is no shortage of internet in city , has it reduced traffic ? Unless
you are working and residing in same building or within walking distance it
does not solve any traffic problem.

Less than 5% ppl work in IT /ITES company


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