It’s unfortunate that the government instead of finding ways to resolve the city ‘s traffic problems, has proposed a ban on registering new vehicles for two years, which is quite impossible. How can registration of new vehicles be banned for two years when it is the highest revenue earner for the government? A better solution would be to impose a bigger tax on new vehicles and restrict people from owning more than one vehicle. The government could also promote eco-friendly and electronic vehicles and provide subsidy for their purchase.
In addition, we need regulations that say no vehicles will be registered unless they have parking facilities in their buildings and hefty charges for parking outside on the roads. While the private car owners must be made to pay for parking on the roads , taxis must be allowed to park for free as they serve 20 to 30 people every day.
With the city seeing a marked change in its climate and environment, it is time the government looked at improving public transport, the Metro Rail services and other commuting modes before curbing the registration of new vehicles. As long as the government does not provide proper public transport, the city will continue to face traffic problems. Bengaluru needs more parking facilities, better monitoring by the regional transport offices (RTOs) of old and polluting vehicles, and more stringent rules for traffic violations and road safety. Schemes like car pooling should be encouraged as well.
In addition, the authorities should consider levying a congestion tax during peak hours to decongest Bengaluru. The levy should be automatically deducted using a ‘tags’ system once a vehicle enters a crowded road. Making more stretches ‘one-way for traffic’ could also help the city fight its traffic troubles.
