Guest column: Signal-free corridor is a fancy' term, so will be the corridor

It is really interesting to know from where these “fancy” terms like Signal-Free Corridor are picked. Even if you fly in air you need to land somewhere. Likewise, in the so-called signal free corridors, vehicles should ultimately land somewhere. Assume vehicles zip through the corridors by crossing all the flyovers and underspasses, but ultimately they have to stop somewhere. And the junction where they stop will surely be clogged with traffic.

Let me give an example. The flyover at Yeshwanthpur was built with an intention to ease traffic. But what has happened to the flyover today? During peak hours, we see vehicles piled up towards Tumakuru Road on the flyover. Also because of the difference in the carriage capacity, the road immediately after the flyover is crowded. Then what is the purpose this flyover serving?

Signal-free corridors too will face the same fate. Before any project is taken up, an unbiased analysis of the area is needed. Various alternatives to ease the congestion should be listed and the one which is cost-effective, viable and help solve the problem should be taken up.

It will be shocking for any Bengalurean to know that these works, which should be professionally executed by transport engineers, are done by other engineers from the BBMP or BDA. Then, how do we expect the city to be free of traffic jams?

It is ridiculous that a city which has a population of over one crore does not have a single transport engineer for traffic management and study. I have worked with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority. They have a separate wing with transport engineers and others, who do the job of mobility planning. The job of managing traffic should be given to traffic experts and not to traffic police, who randomly open and close the signals