Bengaluru: Citizens for Bengaluru (CfB) members met Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwar and expressed concerns that elevated corridors would not solve the traffic problem in Bengaluru, but would only aggravate it.
Alavalli Srinivas, a member of CfB, who met Mr Parameshwar at the Vidhana Soudha, shared that on an average everyday 1,500 vehicles, including 300 cars, are added to the existing vehicle population. The elevated corridors will only increase it and add to the air pollution, he said.
He stressed on the urgent need to increase modal share of public transport to 80% and questioned why there is not boost to public transport over the last six years. The number of buses have remained stagnant. He pointed out that a city like Mumbai which has a higher population than Bengaluru, has lesser number of private vehicles due to the extensive suburban train network.
He said the elevated corridors will benefit only for a limited period and subsequently increase the number of vehicles. Citing Electronics City elevated corridor as an example, he said it has made a mess at both entry and exit points and the road underneath. Had the government implemented commuter train or metro on the same line it would have served better purpose, Srinivas said.
As reinforced by the current C40 conference, the CfB requested that massive investments be made in suburban rail, buses and Metro along with pedestrianisation as viable and sustainable solution to Bengaluru's traffic congestion. In response, Mr Parameshwar promised to hold public consultations on the project and solicit a wide variety of opinions and assess solution. He indicated that elevated corridors would be implemented only if they were the right solution for the mobility problems.
