BENGALURU TRAFFIC; THE CITY’S POPULAR BUT WORSE-KNOWN FACT

Bengaluru, popularly known as the Silicon Valley of India is renowned for its IT infrastructure, vibrant and diverse culture, and mild weather. Bengaluru is the nation’s leading Information Technology exporter and houses the headquarters of ISRO, Infosys, Wipro and HAL. It is also a popular educational destination for the nation’s youngsters as it is also home to national universities like the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B), International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore (IIIT-B), National Law School of India University (NLSIU), National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), and many more.

Karnataka is among the Top 5 states which have demonstrated strong growth over the years and has a per-capita state GDP of INR 3.05 lakhs in FY 22(E); the highest amongst the Top 5. Karnataka, and particularly Bengaluru is also a major job producer of the nation, having generated 11% of all formal jobs in the country while contributing 8.7% to the national GDP in FY22 which constitutes less than 5% of the population.

Currently, Bengaluru has drawn over 200,000 overseas residents due to the abundant opportunities it offers. The city hosts more than 450 research laboratories, and over 400 of the Fortune 500 global corporations have established a presence. Bengaluru boasts an estimated population of over 100,000 individuals holding PhDs across various fields, who have been lured by the city's research and specialization prospects. Bengaluru also accommodates more than 30,000 automotive software engineers and 15,000 aeronautical engineers.

All of this, however, has posed significant infrastructural challenges for Bengaluru; a city that attracts significant immigration due to its opportunities but with an infrastructure development that has not been able to keep pace with the rise in population. Bengaluru’s population now stands at around 13,608,000 which is a 3.15% increase from 2022. And a major challenge that came with it is the city’s traffic congestion. It has become a slogan, a legend, an understanding amongst people in Bengaluru, ‘Oh, The traffic!’

According to a report by TomTom in 2022, the Netherlands-based global provider of navigation, traffic and map products, Bengaluru was ranked no.2 in the world for the most congested city in 2019, second to London, UK. It beat 415 other cities across 57 countries to earn this title. The average time taken to cover 10km was shown to be around 30 minutes.

The report also showed that an average person spent 260 hours driving yearly, out of which 134 hours were due to traffic congestion. And this extra time spent driving in the rush hours is the equivalent of 5 days and 14 hours! The report also showed that there was a 4-hour 55-minute increase in time from the year 2021. In other words, the average time spent to cover 10km increased by 40 seconds from the year 2021 to 2022. Now that’s not all, due to traffic congestion carbon emissions have also increased significantly. Out of 1009kg of CO2 emitted from the city, 275kg is due to congestion.

The time that is spent in traffic congestion has cost the economy as well. Time is money, and a study by MN Sreehari, a traffic expert and his team showed that Bengaluru has incurred a loss of around 20,000 crore rupees. The study showed that delays, congestion, signal stoppages, interference from slower-moving vehicles, fuel wastage, and loss of occupant time, were converted into its monetary equivalent of time lost when considering salaries, among other related costs.

What people face on a daily basis is the cold hard reality of it. Although the TomTom report shows that the average time to cover 10km is 30 mins, a startup owner, Ramakrishna Iyengar, took a total of 3 hours to cover a distance of 10km while incurring a 10 lakh loss in the process.

"I am a small-scale businessman and an IT graduate. I worked as a software engineer but due to the pandemic, I lost my job. Then I ventured into my own business, supplying customised water bottles and gift items to corporate companies. Despite my efforts, I faced a setback when I had to travel from ISRO Layout to Koramangala to finalise a deal. Although I had scheduled the meeting for 2 PM and left at 11 AM, I couldn't reach on time because of the traffic and I lost the deal. I am the only person earning in the family with old parents to look after. This deal was a significant opportunity for me, and its loss has left me feeling frustrated and demotivated," he said.

Another daily commuter Lata Gowda says, "The prices of cabs double due to traffic, especially when heading to the airport. Travelling by bus is even more inconvenient as it has to halt at every stop, in addition to the traffic and signals. Commuting in Bengaluru means spending 7-8 hours in a day in traffic."

Experts have given many suggestions, the most prominent one being improving public transport infrastructure. It is because public transport seems unreliable to people, that they opt to bring their own vehicles and in turn, magnifying the congestion.

"Considering the financial burden of using public transport, having one's own vehicle is preferable. An own vehicle can indeed help save money, but unfortunately, not time. There hasn't been a single day in the past 4 years when he has reached the office on time" said Thushar DB, a software engineer working in a company located in HSR layout.

According to the report; Karnataka: A $1 Trillion GDP Vision, these are the recommendations to the government to improve traffic congestion:

1. Improvement of the current road network.
2. Incorporation of a fleet of 10,000 electric buses for public transport.
3. Development of 120 km of elevated roads to relieve traffic.
4. Building of 100km of peripheral ring roads.
5. Route enhancement of the Metro to a total of 250km to increase the capacity to 30 lakh people per day.
6. Enmeshing a strong suburban rail network to complement existing public transport modes

The study by MN Sreehari has also given suggestions that include expanding Bangalore’s road network; "The road length growth is not in proportion with the vehicular growth and area growth. The total length of the road is about 11,000 kilometres which is not enough to meet our transport demand and trips made," the report said. Bengaluru has expanded from 88 square kilometres to 985 square kilometres in 2023. This study proposed that the city expand to 1,100 square kilometres to meet demand.

"The exponential growth of population and their job potential speed could not match with the infrastructural growth that is existing. The gap deficiency has resulted in delays, congestion, higher travel time, and huge economic loss (intangible) in terms of direct and indirect cost," said Mr Sreehari and his team.

Mr Sreehari said that the city needs radial roads, ring roads, with specific rings which include ORR, PRR, and STRR likewise for every 5 km one circular route will be connected by radial roads. Although STRR was planned long back, due to land acquisition issues, there has been an escalation in construction and maintenance costs.

Just as much public transport and infrastructure should be improved, the city needs to become a walking city. London, Amsterdam, New York, and other congested cities in the world are not lost on walkways like Bengaluru is. For this reason, the study suggested that the government remove roadside parking as footpaths are meant for pedestrians to walk legally. "As a transportation expert, I have failed to show even one road in Bengaluru without parking," Mr Sreehari said.

The team also recommended increasing mass transportation like metro, monorail, and high-capacity buses and discouraged private transportation systems. Artificial intelligence and robotics introduction with informatics for road users using VMS [Variable Message System] was also recommended.

"Deploy enough personnel for the observation of violators and immediate action plans in addition to camera and sensor system. Since the entire road system is full of activities, exploring underground transportation, particularly for metros, government buses etc., gives opening every one or two kilometres and escape routes. This will also cover ventilation and other requirements during the disaster," the report said.

The experts have also suggested more underground-based road systems to cater the road traffic for the next 25 years. The study says that the government needs to explore underground transportation for metros, and government buses with an opening every 1-2 km. In fact, in July of this year, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar allocated a fund of 22,000 crore rupees for the construction of the first phase of a 50km tunnel project. Although the proposed project covers 50km, Bengaluru will need a 100km tunnel project to overcome traffic congestion issues. This project has been approved as a Private-Public Partnership and is awaiting tenders.

Bengaluru as a High-tech city faces a complex problem with many intricacies. The government welcomes suggestions from the citizens under the tag of ‘Brand Bengaluru’, and many recommendations and suggestions are being heard now. Earlier this month, a video of some techies ordering Domino’s pizza while being stuck in the notorious ORR traffic and getting it on time reiterated the ‘Peak Bengaluru’ moment. ‘Peak Bengaluru’ is not meant to show only development personified but leaves room for improvement. And that’s exactly where we are today.

(For references please contact me)