Phase-3 double decker corridor will not ease traffic in Bengaluru: Report
Bengaluru: Despite ongoing efforts by city administrators to tackle traffic congestion, including the ambitious 37-km double-decker (flyover-cum-Metro) corridor along the Phase-3 of Namma Metro, a Feasibility-cum-Detailed Project Report (DPR) suggests that the project may not reduce traffic as expected.
According to the executive summary of the report, which was cited by The New Indian Express on Monday, traffic flow analyses at key junctions between Kadabagere and Hosahalli, as well as along the JP Nagar to Hebbal corridor, show that even with the proposed elevated corridor, traffic at ground level is unlikely to decrease significantly. This indicates that the tolled elevated road may fail to alleviate surface road congestion.
A survey conducted as part of the DPR, involving 1,000 respondents, revealed that 78% of commuters experience peak-hour congestion between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., and 48% report heavy traffic between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. However, a whopping 91% of those surveyed said they would be unwilling to pay tolls for improved road infrastructure.
The report's executive summary also highlighted that traffic projections for the Kadabagere to Hosahalli corridor show only marginal relief from the proposed elevated road. By 2031, traffic between Kadabagere and Magadi Road would decrease from 1,837 to 1,369 Passenger Car Units (PCUs), and by 2041, it would further drop to 1,640 PCUs, the report stated. Similar modest reductions were noted across other junctions of the corridor.
In the JP Nagar to Hebbal corridor, traffic flow between five major junctions showed similarly small improvements. For instance, the PCUs between JP Nagar and Sarakki Junction would drop from 2,895 to 2,701 in 2031, and to 3,222 PCUs by 2041. The reductions across other junctions were similarly marginal.
Commenting on the minimal impact of the double-decker flyover on ground-level traffic, independent mobility expert Satya Arikutharam said that there is no transport justification for building the double-decker structure along the entire Phase-3 alignment. “A tolled facility doesn’t remove any significant surface road congestion. And if it is free, it impacts Metro viability,” TNIE quoted Arikutharam as saying.
He added that integrated structures work best in short sections, such as at Goraguntepalya Junction, where they can improve network efficiency.
Traffic expert Prof Sreehari M.N. also weighed in, stating that flyovers are not the solution to traffic woes. “Anywhere in the world, flyovers have failed to solve congestion. They quickly become uneconomical,” TNIE quoted him as saying.
He noted that the actual reduction in ground-level traffic is minimal, particularly in a city like Bengaluru, where traffic pressure is highly uneven, with peak and off-peak hours showing different patterns.
“During peak hours, the priority should be to increase the carrying capacity of public transport, not build more flyovers,” he further added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Accept Congress decision appointing V D Satheesan as Kerala CM: K C Venugopal
Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi (PTI): Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal on Thursday accepted the party decision to select V D Satheesan as the chief minister of Kerala and congratulated him.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Venugopal, who was one of the three persons being considered for the post, said he will provide all support to the CM and the UDF government in Kerala.
The decision comes more than 10 days after the results of the April Assembly polls in Kerala were declared.
The Congress-led UDF secured a more than two-thirds majority in the Kerala Assembly elections, but the party has been unable to decide its chief ministerial face due to lobbying by different camps and protests by workers at the ground level.
Besides, Satheesan and Venugopal, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala was also in the race for the CM post.
