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Steps will be taken to reduce traffic jam in Bengaluru: Bommai
According to CMO, Bommai directed the district administration and the city police to take measures to reduce traffic in 10 prominent junctions, including Hebbal, Mahadevapura Outer Ring Road, Silk Board Junction and Whitefield Road, among others
Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Saturday that measures will be taken to reduce the traffic congestion in Bengaluru by removing obstacles, expediting civil work and synchronisation of signals to ensure smooth flow of vehicles.
“I have directed to start the work on signal synchronisation in CBD (central business district), high traffic density corridors in the city. The problem caused by frequent digging of roads by various civic agencies like BWSSB and BMRCL and leaving the debris without covering the dug-up roads also came up for discussion. The chief minister wanted the dug-up roads to be re-laid properly, and debris cleared immediately,” read a statement from the chief minister’s office (CMO), attributing it to Bommai.
Police officials present in the meeting sought to raise the strength of the traffic police personnel and focussed on measures to ease traffic congestion in the city as well as install cameras at traffic junctions under the Nirbhaya scheme.
In October last year, the Karnataka government approved to set up 16000 surveillance cameras across Bengaluru with an allocation of ₹667 crores from the union, to increase safety measures for women in the city. Each CCTV would have safety lights, panic buttons and emit loud sirens when pressed, the government had announced at the time.
According to CMO, Bommai directed the district administration and the city police to take measures to reduce traffic in 10 prominent junctions, including Hebbal, Mahadevapura Outer Ring Road, Silk Board Junction and Whitefield Road, among others.
According to the ninth edition of its Annual Traffic Index by TomTom, a Netherlands-based global provider of navigation, traffic and map products, Bengaluru emerged top of the list in 2019, beating 415 cities across 57 countries.
“Bengaluru takes the top spot this year with drivers in the southern Indian city expecting to spend an average of 71% extra travel time stuck in traffic,” TomTom said in its report.
Long delays in implementing projects like Bengaluru Metro, introducing alternative mass transit options, and providing basic infrastructure like good roads have led to a large number of private vehicles pouring into the streets and adding to painfully long traffic jams almost on every street.
According to TomTom’s 2019 report, a commuter spent an additional 243 traffic hours annually? while driving during peak hours.
The report said during the time spent on roads, “people in Bengaluru could have planted 244 trees, watched 215 episodes of Game of Thrones or watched 139 football matches”.
Bommai said that there have been strict orders issued to fill potholes on roads connecting the National Highways and taking up immediate repair works at about 50 spots, which witness flooding during rainfall, the CMO stated.
The chief minister also instructed the officials to clear the encroachments on arterial, sub-arterial and high-density roads without showing any leniency and submit a report on the actions taken. “I will again hold zone-wise meetings to review the actions taken,” Bommai said, according to the CMO.
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