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.
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LoP Ashoka targets CM govt over corruption, says being 'shameless' in public life not forgivable
Bengaluru (PTI): Targeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government in Karnataka on corruption, BJP leader R Ashoka on Friday said, being foolish was forgivable, but being "shameless" in public life was not.
The Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly claimed that in just 30 months of its tenure, the Congress administration has broken every previous record on corruption-related controversies.
He was responding to Siddaramaiah's post on 'X' on Thursday hitting back at the BJP, stating that Upa Lokayukta Justice Veerappa's claims of "63 per cent corruption" were based on his report in November 2019, when BJP's B S Yediyurappa was the CM.
"But Ashoka, without understanding the Upa Lokayukta's statement properly, has ended up tying the BJP's own bells of sins onto our heads and has effectively shot himself in the foot," the CM had said, as he accused Ashoka of foolishness for trying to twist Veerappa's statement to target the current government.
Responding, Ashoka said, "it is one thing to be called foolish in politics, that can be forgiven."
"But in public life, especially in the Chief Minister's chair, one must never become shameless," Ashoka posted on 'X' on Friday addressing Siddaramaiah.
Noting that the CM himself had admitted on the floor of the Assembly that a Rs 87 crore scam took place in the Valmiki Development Corporation, he said that when a CM acknowledges such a massive irregularity inside the floor of the House, the natural expectation is immediate action and accountability.
"But instead of taking responsibility, you continue in office as if nothing has happened. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
Pointing out that the CM's Economic Advisor and senior Congress MLA Basavaraja Rayareddy had publicly stated that under Congress rule, Karnataka has become No.1 in corruption, Ashoka said, "Yet, you still cling to the Chief Minister's chair without a moment of introspection. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness."
Senior Congress MLA C R Patil had exposed the "money for House" racket in the Housing Department and even warned that the government would collapse if the details he has were made public, Ashoka said.
"Despite such serious allegations from within your own party (Congress), you neither initiated an inquiry nor acted against the concerned minister. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," Ashoka asked the CM.
Highlighting the "40 percent commission" allegation Congress made against the previous BJP government, the opposition leader said, the commission that the Siddaramaiah government appointed concluded that the accusation was baseless.
"After your own panel demolished your own claim, what moral right do you have to continue repeating that allegation. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
For the last two and a half years, Karnataka has been 'drowning' in corruption, scandals, irregularities and allegations across departments. Ashoka said, "If I begin listing every case that emerged under your government, even 24 hours would not be enough."
"And the most tragic aspect of your administration is this: the unbearable pressure, corruption demands and administrative harassment under your government pushed several officers and contractors into extreme distress - including the suicide of Chandrasekharan which exposed the Valmiki Development Corporation scam - a sign of how deeply broken the system has become under your watch," he said.
Instead of fixing this hopeless environment, the government has tried to bury every complaint and silence every voice, he charged.
"Being foolish is forgivable, but being shameless in public life is definitely not."
"When your own ministers admit scams, when your own advisors certify Karnataka as No.1 in corruption, and when your own MLAs expose rackets inside your departments - clinging to power without accountability is not leadership. It is shamelessness in its purest form." PTI KSU
Earlier on Thursday Ashoka had demanded that the corruption case and allegations in the state against the Congress government be handed over to a CBI investigation, citing a reported statement by Upalokaykta Justice Veerappa alleging "63 per cent corruption", following which Siddaramaiah hit back at the BJP leader.
