Bangalore::Traffic Traffic!!

The oxford dictionary offers the following meaning for traffic:
• noun 1 vehicles moving on public roads. 2 the movement of ships or aircraft. 3 the commercial transportation of goods or passengers. 4 the messages or signals transmitted through a communications system. 5 the action of trading in something illegal.
• verb (trafficked, trafficking) deal or trade in something illegal.

Now which traffic am I alluding to in this article is anybodys guess considering that I am from Bangalore. Yes, you got that right, I refer to nothing else than the traffic in Bangalore. Without delving much into the problems that the traffic poses, as it’s a fact that Bangy. traffic doesn't offer anything other than problems. I move on to the solutions implemented, proposed and then leave the field open for all of you to chip in your Opinion.

One ways are a norm in the city. I should agree that in some places it has really helped in taming the beast of congestion. However, on most of the roads it has only moved the point of congestion and not cleared it. Another face of the above solution is no right, U turns. This did nothing but shift the congestion point (e.g., Air Port Road), and also increased the commuting distance. Flyovers were constructed for the heck of having them. I doubt how much planning has gone into their design. Silk Board flyover on Hosur road is a towering example. Domlur junction flyover which is in the making for eons, is another example, considering that it will be an eternity before one can see its impact. (But seeing the design convinces me that its going to be another silk board).

New roads to Whitefield, ITPL and other upcoming areas are as narrow as other roads in the city. I fail to understand what impedes them from going for wider roads than settle for just four lanes. One area where I can't comment is the planning that goes in the growth of the city. But if we bench mark other infrastructure projects, I have no doubts of their future.

The solutions for these that I am aware of, bringing more and more roads under the one way norm. I will not be surprised if one year from now, I need to travel 15km, to reach my office which is 1.5km from my home. (I travel 6km to reach my home which is 1.5 km from my office).More and more flyovers, considering how Bangalore was built and how much interest the present government shows in the city planning, I have a pretty picture of the city amidst rubble of flyovers, in the making.

Metro Rail is the next one down our throat. Though this is one good solution, this alone cannot solve the traffic problem. There should be a parallel plan to develop the feeders to the areas where the metro passes. This is something about which there is not much talk.

On an average a Bangalorean spends more than 7 minutes on road for every kilometer traveled. If nothing is done the next evolution of mankind is not far of, where we literally lead our lives on and off the road.