[sustran] Despite initiatives such as the ''Bus Day,'' Bangaloreans aren’t getting onto the public transport buses in big numbers

[Vinay Baindur]

*Take the Bus !*
Bangalore, August 28, DHNS:

Despite initiatives such as the ''Bus Day,'' Bangaloreans aren’t getting
onto the public transport buses in big numbers. Here’s a comprehensive look
at the issue.

Everybody loves a free road, decongested and wonderfully motorist-friendly.
But to realise that dream, could you flood every inch of the City’s grossly
inadequate roads with private vehicles of every hue. “No,” screams the
traffic strategists, and predictably propose a vastly improved public
transport system. Yet, one look at the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport
Corporation (BMTC), the autos and taxis and you know, they aren’t really up
to the challenge.

The Centre’s urban transport strategy is clearly based on restraining the
unregulated growth of private vehicles. But how do you implement it, if
BMTC’s initiatives such as the “Bus Day” are still only symbolic, and about
a thousand vehicles are added to the City’s roads every day.

If BMTC’s services are dubbed “unreliable” by most private vehicle owners,
and the City’s auto drivers are notoriously unruly, is there a real chance
for a smooth and efficient public transport system to take shape?

Last Mile Connectivity

Perhaps, if the critical aspect of “Last Mile Connectivity” is looked into.
Experts are clear that Bangalore’s bane is the lack of a multiple,
integrated system of public transport, unlike in cities such as Kolkata,
Chennai or Mumbai. In these cities, local trains or trams support the buses
or vice-versa, hugely complementing the autorickshaws.

Often, Bangaloreans are forced to use private transport since there are no
bus stations in many residential areas, and short trips in autos don’t come
cheap. A telling instance is that of N Padmashree of Ulsoor, who commutes to
Basaveshwarnagar everyday. “I have to walk almost a kilometre to get to the
bus stand to board a bus to Shivajinagar. Again, I’ve got to walk a fair bit
from the bus stand to Basaveshwarnagar,” says Padmashree, ruling out the
autos as an option.

High BMTC fares

High fares levied by public modes of transport including the BMTC is cited
as another reason why people prefer personal transport. But BMTC disagrees,
contending that the fares are reasonable and only reflects the hike in
petroleum prices.

Whatever the contention, the problem of mounting private vehicles is there
for all to see. Here are some startling statistics: For a population of
about 9 million, Bangalore has about 41 lakh private vehicles and only
90,000 public vehicles including 6,046 BMTC buses, around 80,000 autos and
3,000 odd taxis. Only about 42 per cent of the population use public
transport, with BMTC catering to 42 lakh commuters daily. Experts opine that
for the traffic situation to be healthy, at least 75 per cent to 80 per cent
of the population must use public transport.

MN Sreehari, advisor to the State Government on infrastructure, traffic and
transport, feels such high levels of private vehicles in any city will
directly result in traffic congestion. “This is particularly so in
Bangalore, which lacks planning too.” The congestion has definitely caught
the traffic police and the transport department in a bind. It couldn’t be
otherwise, when the transport department itself informs that about 41.30
lakh of the 90 lakh vehicles in the State are in Bangalore.

BMTC measures

The transport department has been toying with different strategies to drive
the public towards public transport. Introduction of different types of
buses to cater to different classes of people is one such initiative, as
BMTC MD Syed Zameer Pasha informs. The once-a-month “Bus Day” is another
move, although its results are found wanting.

The Transport Corporation is also developing several Traffic Transit
Management Centres (TTMCs) with parking facility, to encourage people to
park private vehicles and use buses. This is claimed as one solution to
address the lack of last mile connectivity. But the existing TTMCs are yet
to record any noticeable success, the poor response to the parking facility
at Jayanagar being a case in point. Perhaps, the perceived success of the AC
Volvo buses could show the way.

Bus Day

Despite the publicity, the “Bus Day” initiative has largely remained a
brand-building exercise. Transport Minister R Ashok admits it, but he
reminds that the initiative is still in its nascent stage. “People will
understand the importance of using public transport,” he says.

While many don’t share the minister’s optimism, there are experts who feel
the Namma Metro might provide a breather. But they warn that its success too
will depend on how well BMTC can play the role of a feeder. This crucial
factor is echoed by Transport Commissioner Bhaskar Rao as well. “It is vital
that the BMTC corresponds the metro and plies buses to various metro
stations for people to take the metro.”

Chethan Kumar

No end to traffic chaos

Mounting vehicular population on the City roads has triggered a litany of
problems, too acute for the City traffic police to handle. Besides severely
straining the road infrastructure, this explosive growth has triggered a
traffic situation of unmanageable proportions, in the process affecting the
physical, mental and psychological health of the policemen.

Ever on the rise, cases of traffic violation, traffic jams, slow-moving
vehicles, fatal and non fatal accidents and episodes of dramatic road rages
have all put the police in a clueless fix. The police obviously puts the
blame for all these on the sheer number of vehicles.

“The City’s public transport system has drastically failed to meet the
requirements of the travelling public, resulting in an ocean of private and
personal vehicles. The public prefer personal and private vehicles because
they are comfortable and quick,” reasons a traffic constable, exasperated by
his daily struggle.

Unscientific infrastructure

Faced with a volley of traffic woes, the police often rely on solutions that
commuters find unscientific. The infrastructure too aren’t exactly world
class. Unscientific road designs, improper traffic patterns, lack of
practical wisdom while choosing places for construction of flyovers,
underpasses and sub-ways have resulted in introduction of more one-ways.

Urban planner and architect, George K Kuruvilla notes that Bangalore’s is a
‘confused traffic planning’. “There is confusion everywhere, thanks to
engineers who finalise traffic planning for the City instead of traffic
planners. Ideally, we should have a group of trained traffic planners to
plan for one-ways, places to construct flyovers, bridges, introduction of
alternative public mode of transportation other than buses like mono rails,
sky trains and sky buses,” he stresses.

A lack of understanding of traffic patterns by engineers, and unscientific
decisions on major issues concerning road infrastructure have resulted in
consumption of more time and energy and improper connectivity. These have
naturally forced people to depend on personal vehicles, contends Kuruvilla.

Free Parking

The free parking system is another critical factor, reminds Additional
Commissioner of Police (Traffic & Security) Praveen Sood. “Why we see more
private and personal vehicles on the roads is due to the free parking
system. Nowhere in the world is parking of vehicles free,” he says.

The parked vehicles consume more space on roads forcing authorities to
convert such roads into one-ways. Sood suggests that the one-ways can be
abolished ensuring more space on roads if the parked vehicles are shifted to
parking lots. “The abolition of one-ways will ensure proper connectivity,
which will encourage people to use the public transport system,” that’s his
recipe.

Jagadish Angadi

Solutions aplenty

There has never been a dearth of solutions offered for the taxing traffic
congestion of Bangalore roads. It is in the implementation of various plans
that the City has faltered. The spiralling growth of vehicles has only made
adopting plans even more tougher. Yet, there is a need to revisit the
solutions suggested by traffic experts, long time road users and think
tanks.

Car-pooling

Sharing a private car by people heading to the same destination was an idea
proposed by a team of techies a few years ago. It was a simple yet practical
way to reduce the number of cars on the road. When the traffic police backed
it and did a formal launch in November 2008, car-pooling looked big.

Yet, despite the police claims that the response has been “very good,” it
hasn’t picked up pace beyond the IT/BT sector employees. It definitely calls
for a more aggressive push.

Bus-route re-rationalisation

“Re-rationalisation”of the bus routes will be a starting point for the
government to attract citizens to use public transport, feels traffic expert
and founder of Gubbi Labs, a private research enterprise, Sudhira. “Any
person travelling from Banashankari to Malleshwaram need to change over at K
R Market. Instead, they can ply direct buses in large numbers to ensure that
such transit points are not a hindrance to people,” he explains.

Relook at fares

Since public transport also implies economical commuting, experts feel that
ticket fares should be moderately priced. This goes for BMTC buses,
autorickshaws and taxis. Pocket-friendly daily passes could be another
option. While the Namma Metro is being cited as an alternative public
transport, many feel the pricing should be moderate and integrated with
other modes of transport. Many world cities have adopted the practice of a
single daily ticket that will help the commuter travel by bus, metro or
tram.

Deterring taxes

High decongestion taxes have vastly deterred car owners from entering the
heart of the city in many countries. The tax might appear draconian to some,
but has been a success worldwide. London and Singapore are cases in point.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Praveen Sood is in favour of
such as system for Bangalore.

JA