Karnataka may go the Delhi way and roll out an odd-even vehicle formula in Bengaluru. But the IT City first needs to strengthen its public transport system.
“More than 10 lakh four-wheelers ply on our roads every day . If we replicate the Delhi model, we can slash this by half. We are looking at what is best for the city . Before implementing such an initiative, we need to strengthen the public transport system by increasing the BMTC bus fleet by at least 2,000.
The matter has been discussed with the chief minister, but before making the scheme a reality, the government has to consider various factors. What happens in the case of a medical emergency?” transport commissioner Rame Gowda told STOI.
In all, Bengaluru’s roads see nearly 59 lakh vehicles per day , leading to sluggish traffic movement. Following the Delhi experiment -which allows oddand evennumbered private cars to ply on alternate days -the transport department is considering alternative methods to encourage public transport here.
“The first step is to make more BMTC buses available to commuters,” he said.
The national capital has a robust public transport system, with the Metro having reached the whole of Delhi and cities like Noida, Gurgaon and Faridabad. In Bengaluru, only three Metro lines are up and running. Implementing the odd-even rule may not be the perfect solution but it’s the best measure avail able right now,”said Raghu Ramanujam, founder and CEO, PoolCircle, a carpooling platform.
Over 73% of the cars plying on Bengaluru roads have single-person occupancy , said Ramanujam. “The government can work on framing guidelines to support carpooling initiatives. For example, if the government allows people who are offering rides to charge other passengers, it’ll be a great incentive. Over 18,000 citizens are using PoolCircle services in Bengaluru,” he said.
Electronics City Industries Association (ELCIA) is said to be the first tech park in the country to tie up with a carpooling service. Electronics City has a combined workforce of about 1,40,000 employees across more than 70 member companies of ELCIA. “We aim to get 28,000 employees (or about 20% of the total) on board over the next six months,” added Ramanujam.
Wait and watch, say professionals
Techies who battle traffic woes every day feel the Delhi formula has only kicked-off and needs to be assessed before any steps are taken. “I don’t know if the scheme will work for Bengaluru? What will we do in case of medical emergencies? The rest of India must wait and see if the experiment is actually any good before replicating it,” said Ajay Ramakrishna, a techie who travels to Whitefield from south Bengaluru daily .
Pallavi Anu, a chartered accountant, recalled the vehicle-free initiative hosted by HSR Layout on September 20, 2015. “With the government banning private vehicles, commuting was a major hassle. No drastic steps should be taken. We will ditch private vehicles only if we can rely on public transport. The base needs to be strengthened first,” she said.
