5. The current strategy
Widen roads to keep pace with traffic
Traffic is doubling every 5 years. Road space can never
Illogically, we are trying to double keep pace with vehicle
Road space every 5 years. population.
6. 'Dog chasing its tail' strategy
has failed all over the world
20-lane road in
USA.
Congestion remains, despite endless road
widening.
8. Move to sustainable transport
Increase public transport, reduce private vehicles.
Public transport = mass transport + taxis + autos
+
Increase Non-motorized Transport (NMT)
Cycling and Walking
This is the only solution that will work in the long term.
9. Sustainable transport could lead to this
Reduce
No. of vehicles by 75 %
Commute time by 50 %
Pollution by 80 %
Spending on roads by 90 %
Increase spending on
Water, Health care, Education, Electric power
11. Metro ?
Like London, Paris and New York, Bangalore needs
400 km. of Metro tracks.
The other cities took 150 years to build 400 km. of Metro.
Bangalore has taken 5 years to build 4 km.
42 km. in phase 1 is going to cost Rs. 12,000 Cr.
1. Bangalore Metro will take 100 years, cost Rs. 1 Lakh Crore.
2. We will not be alive to see its benefits.
MG Road, before Metro MG Road, after Metro
12. Bus ?
150 people in cars 150 people in 2 buses
and 2-wheelers
Road space used by a person in a bus is 3 % compared to a
a car, 5 % compared to a 2-wheeler
13. The bus already works, beautifully
BMTC has 6000 buses, 0.5 % of the total vehicle population
of 36,00000 (36 lakhs). It carries half the city's population.
Proportionately
One half of Bangalore
occupies this much road
space in 36 Lakh private
vehicles.
The other half of
Bangalore occupies this
much road space in
6000 buses.
14. Commuter rail ?
Will run on existing rail tracks, 405 km. distance.
Connects all suburbs.
Starts with 15 minute frequency, increases to 5-10 minutes in 7 years.
Can start in 1 year, Rs. 8000 Crore total cost.
18. Option 2
For long commutes – public transport
Commuter rail
Bus
Taxis
Autos
For short commutes - Non-motorized transport
Cycling
Walking
19. Result
A green Bangalore, with clean air, improved mobility,
more money spent on healthcare, water, power,
education
20. Does it really need great intelligence to
decide which option is better ?
21. But you think it is Utopian ?
Sustainable transport is too long term, OK for developed
countries like Holland but not practical in a developing
country ?
See
How sustainable transport can be implemented in Bangalore.
22. What you can do
1. Start practising sustainable transport – take public
transport, cycle or walk whenever possible. Can you start by
not driving to that neighbourhood shop that's half a km.
away ?
2. Reduce your addiction to your private vehicle, in stages.
3. Convince friends that sustainable transport is the only
way to go – personally, through social media, etc.
4. Participate in campaigns pushing for sustainable
transport – email, petitions, public meetings, demonstrations
– in whatever way you can.
23. “A Developed country is not
a place where the Poor have
cars, it's where the Rich use
Public Transport”
- Enrique Peñalosa, former Mayor of Bogota, Columbia, and
sustainable transport guru
24. Further reading
Some of the articles are a couple of years old. The data may be slightly old, but
the essence of the arguments does not change.
Why the Metro is not a solution
Why road widening is stupid
Enrique Penalosa - Brief biography
Interview with Enrique Penalosa
Bangalore commuter rail
Groups working for sustainable transport
Want to join and work in a group working for sustainable transport in Bangalore?
You can contribute your time, skills and money.
Join Praja.in