On February 17, the Government of Karnataka and a media house jointly held a Namma Karnataka development conclave at the Vidhana Soudha. The event somehow turned out to be more of a propaganda platform for the launch of the much-debated Elevated Road Corridor Project. The aim behind the launch of this project is to solve the growing traffic congestion problems as well as related extremities.
Is The Elevated Road Project Flawed?
Many experts in Bengaluru as well as in Karnataka are questioning this decision to have an elevated road. According to a reporter, the perspective of the state government on using the road space effectively and pushing the road project for that purpose is highly flawed and unjustified. The reporter says that the focus of the government is more on the vehicle capacity instead of a person’s capacity.
As of today, there is no space for adding more buses in the capital city of Karnataka. Even then every other day 3,000 new personal vehicle registrations are given. It is worth thinking that a bus requires almost the same width similar to the car but has much higher passenger capacity. So, certainly having an elevated road is not the answer.
Rather, the metro rail system can be a more plausible solution as it has 38 times more passenger and load carrying capacity. Also, it requires the same Right-of-Way (ROW) width that is required by normal traffic.
Insight By IISC’s Transportation Engineering Research Lab
According to a mobility expert and professor at the Indian Institute of Science, Ashish Verma, there is no need for elevated road projects when the Metro rail link can offer the same connectivity at a much cheaper rate. The Transportation Engineering Research Lab of IISC used a macro-simulation travel demand model to develop the entire Bengaluru Metropolitan Region (BMR).
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Using the model the lab tried to estimate the number of space buses and cars occupy currently on the road network of BMR typically during peak hour. While speaking at a public function, Professor Verma discussed the proposal from the state government to build elevated roads and revive steel flyover project. According to Mr. Verma, the elevated project will reduce the green cover in Bengaluru and also increase vehicular emission.
Elevated Road And Steel Flyover Project Should Be Replaced By Metro Line
Ashish Verma is of the opinion that the steel flyover and elevated road projects should be replaced by a metro line. According to him, it will solve the twin purpose of keeping the vehicular emission under control and also ensuring fast commuting for passengers. Verma believes that the government should focus on Metro Rail corridor which will encourage people to use public transport more. It will also reduce the nuisance caused by private vehicles to a large extent.
So, what do you think about this? Please share your views in the comments below.
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