The short answer is, for all the money spent on infrastructure development in Bangalore, we Bangaloreans still do not travel faster or more comfortably than we did before.
In Bangalore, which has seen enormous growth in the last few years, infrastructure development has largely been based on the premise that the most significant (though not necessarily the most used) mode of transport is the private vehicle. As a result, the focus of the solution to transportation problems has been road widening. This has involved cutting down trees along the roads and the reduction or removal of footpaths, at a cost to the overall ecology of the city and the safety of cyclists and pedestrians - often the economically weaker sections, senior citizens, children and women. Ironically, this has only resulted in more private vehicles on the road. As a result we now have longer travel times, pollution, increased frustration and untold hardships for private vehicle users, pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users.
The following are four of the major issues our city's transport system is grappling with today:
Traffic congestion
Congestion levels in the city are at an all-time high, with nearly every major road and junction operating beyond capacity. Pedestrians are not safe, as it is almost impossible to cross the road comfortably, and cyclists put themselves at high risk everytime they set out. They are also a hazard to motorists. In most areas of Bangalore, sidewalks are either non-existent or badly in need of repair, which often results in a large portion of the road being wasted as it is unusable. Where footpaths exist, car owners use them as parking lots with scant regard for the law or for pedestrians. While buses are available, accessing them easily is a challenge. This, in addition to unreliablilty of bus schedules, lack of comfortable waiting facilities, lack of information on routes and bus numbers, rash bus divers and low priority for buses on roads makes the travel experience for public transportation users unpleasant, inconvenient and time-consuming.
Road planning and design is skewed towards facilitating faster transit of motor vehicles with scant attention paid to alternative transport users.
Ironically, what we find is that for all the money spent on “the solution” neither the car/bike user nor the public transport user moves faster. So is our Transport System working?
The lack of integration in land-use and transportation planning has resulted in poor mobility and access, transforming the city and placing tremendous stress on its inadequate infrastructure. As Bangalore has expanded outward in a disintegrated fashion, its citizens find themselves having to travel long distances across the city to reach work, education, shopping, healthcare and leisure destinations. This, compounded with the lack of an efficient public transportation system has further increased the dependence on private vehicles and quality of life in the city has deteriorated for everyone, rich and poor alike.
Environmental & health impact
The environmental impact of Bangalore’s current transportation system has been severe, particularly where air quality and greenhouse gas emissions are concerned. According to the Greenhouse Gas Inventory of Karnataka, greenhouse gas emissions as carbon dioxide equivalents from the road and transport sector during the period 2005-2006 were around 2.26 million tones – nearly double their level in 1997. If current trends continue, levels are poised to double again in the next ten years. Automotive pollutants have also been a large contributor to local air pollution and smog, the impacts of which fall disproportionately on pedestrians, cyclists, and people from low income categories that are least likely to use private transport. The car/bike user is not spared either. Check the increasing number of respiratory ailments you and your family suffer from every year.
Social Exclusion
The glaring social inequity in mobility is particularly apparent in Bangalore which has the highest vehicle density - number of vehicles per lakh population - among all cities across India, yet two-thirds of households in Bangalore do not own private motorised transport. Despite this, the city’s transportation design has given a disproportionate share of the facilities and road space to cars and bikes. Not only do the poor spend a significantly longer time in transit, they also spend a large portion (about 20-25%) of their income on travel. This section is at a disadvantage in a city where easy access to employment, education, leisure and healthcare very nearly makes personal transport a necessity. A disproportionate amount of money is being spent on roads and their upkeep at the cost of providing other civic amenities viz. libraries, parks, playgrounds, schools and hospitals.