Bengaluru’s transport infrastructure may be in bad shape and the civic authorities and state government cannot escape the blame for the sorry state of affairs. However, as per the recent road transport department data nearly 2,000 non-transport vehicles, mainly two-wheelers and cars, get registered in a day. Traffic experts point out that with so many new vehicles hitting the roads every day, it is impossible for any civic agency to ensure hassle free traffic and adequate parking spaces. They opine that improving mass transport systems and a comprehensive master plan for roads and parking lots is the only way forward.
According to 2011 Census, the city’s population was 84,25,970. But according to a rough estimate, it has now crossed the 10 million mark, with the current infrastructure proving to be woefully inadequate. If we go by the latest data, the city has a vehicle for every three residents. The spurt in the number of vehicles in the last eight months is expected to generate more traffic and pollution woes in the city.
According to the latest data released by the state transport department, as on August 31, the city has 64.09 lakh registered vehicles. Among them, 54.22 lakh fall under non-transport category, like two wheelers and cars. According to the data, every day 1,980 vehicles are registered in the city and among them 1,805 are non-transport ones.
Can’t restrict sale of vehicles: Officials
This trend is not limited to Bengaluru alone. Vehicle registration is high in all the major cities of the state, including Mysuru, Mangaluru, Dharward, Belagavi, Kalaburgi etc. “Two wheelers and cars account for 90 per cent of the vehicle registrations done in the state,” said an officer from the state transport department.
For the state government transport sector is one of the key revenue generators and hence officials feel it is impossible to place any restrictions on vehicle sales in any part of the state.
“Everyone wants additional tax like green cess etc. A few even want an odd-even number policy in the city to discourage citizens from buying more vehicles. But if this situation continues, the city will have more number of vehicles than what the roads can accommodate,” said an officer from the transport department.
According to the officials from civic agencies like BDA, BBMP, which are working on the city infrastructure development, if the number of of vehicles continue to go up at this rate, the traffic woes and pollution in the city will deteriorate further.
A senior officer from BDA informed that major infrastructure projects like Namma Metro are yet to take shape, while BMTC has failed to decongest the roads. “We are engaged in infrastructure development. But frankly, no government agency can provide infrastructure to these many vehicles. This data is really shocking,” he concluded.
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Discourage people from buying cars
Central Business District (CBD) which comprises Bengaluru East, West, North and South RTO offices bears the brunt of the burgeoning vehicle population and a higher number of vehicles are registered in these areas. Interestingly, newly added areas which include K.R. Puram, Electronics City, Devanahalli etc have lower numbers of non-transport vehicles.
According to the data, around 45 lakh non-transport vehicles are used in Bengaluru South, North, West and East zones, which have fewer open spaces as well as quality infrastructure.
“Newly-added areas like Devanahalli, R.R. Nagar, Electronic City have better infrastructure and more open space. They also have less concentration of vehicles. But CBD residents who are always complaining about the traffic mess, pollution levels, have more number of vehicles,” explained an officer.
”This data is up to August 31. Another two lakh vehicles might be added in this festive month of October. Everyone is clueless over how to bring down people’s love for non-transport vehicles,” he said.
According to Hanumanth Rau, a consumer activist, greed to acquire vehicles is one of the main reasons for the increase in the vehicle ratio. “In residential areas there is no space to park vehicles. Everyone is using public roads to park their cars and bikes. The state government's assurances, like multi-storey parking lots, are yet to be implemented. Car manufacturers want to sell more vehicles every year and are coming out with attractive offers. Personalized vehicles have become a part of everyone's life. We are moving towards a disaster,” he explained.
According to an industry insider, the need of the hour is simple – discourage people from going in for more vehicles. “Everyone is clueless as to what to do next. On one hand we speak against the steel bridge. Projects like metro, BRTS failed to keep up with urban requirements. Vehicle registration is one of the key sources of revenue for state governments. Lack of parking spaces, pollution and traffic jams have become part and parcel of our daily life. There is a need for a comprehensive action plan,” he stressed.
Guest Column: Poor city planning, the real culprit? says Sudeer BR, logistic expert
Increasing vehicle density is a problem faced by all the cities in our country. Poor city planning is the real culprit. But honestly speaking, no government can do anything about the increasing numbers of vehicles. There are many reasons for this. As per the data, 2,0000 vehicles are registered every day in the city.
The primary issue is, where these vehicles are parked. I have not seen a single new parking lot. Road widening, road extensions must ensure that these vehicles can be driven on the road. But our road infrastructure is crumbling. Traffic is becoming more chaotic day by day. Without widening the roads or providing parking lots for vehicles, we cannot solve this problem. But no effort is made in this regard.
Pollution is another issue. The Union government is coming up with a number of schemes like smart cities, upgradation of infrastructure etc. But we cannot keep pace with the number of vehicles bought by the city residents.
There is no solution in sight. Every Indian dreams of owning a car. State governments have already imposed high taxes on cars, two-wheelers. Nothing more can be done.
Improving mass transport systems like Metro can reduce the burden on roads. But in a city like Bengaluru which is growing limitlessly every day without boundaries, it is impossible to connect every place.
So, people often opt for their own vehicles. The need of the hour is a comprehensive master plan to ensure that we will have enough roads and parking lots for our vehicles.
