“You see heavy vehicles all the time in areas like KR Puram, Silk Board junction, Electronic City, Sarjapura, Yelahanka and Tumakuru Road, although as far as I know only essential heavy vehicles like milk tankers, garbage trucks and army vehicles are allowed into the city all through the day,” observes Mr Sukumar, a techie from Manyata Tech Park, complaining that Outer Ring Roads are always clogged with all kinds of heavy vehicles despite the ban on their entry into the city during peak hours in the day.
“The ORR is a bad stretch to be on during peak hours due to the number of tech parks in its vicinity and the heavy vehicles that use them. If these vehicles are strictly banned from entry, there would be free flow of traffic, “ he adds.
In his view, the heavy vehicles are mainly responsible for the slow moving traffic because their travelling speed is single digit per kilometer most times.
Mr Sunil Kumar, a traffic expert, believes 40 per cent of the congestion on city roads can be avoided, if heavy vehicles are not allowed to ply inside the city till late night. “There needs to be a complete ban on heavy vehicles from entering the city from 5 am to 11 pm. If the heavy vehicles are banned from the city during the day there could be a major change on city roads,” he says, adding that the ban should also apply to heavy vehicles coming into the city for loading or unloading of goods , oil tankers and borewell trucks.
“There are various ways to keep heavy vehicles out of the city, but the authorities need to be more effective in monitoring them. These days we see heavy vehicles right in the heart of the city all through the day, causing traffic congestion. Imagine a brick- laden lorry on the main road. It occupies huge space and is slow in travelling, holding up other vehicles in the process,” he regrets.
Regular commuters in the city too are surprised why the traffic police doesn’t take action against the heavy vehicles entering the city as they please, when they are quick to catch those who even jump traffic signals. “The traffic police should be held responsible for letting these vehicles enter the city when they like,” they underline.
