IT parks in Bengaluru have once again found themselves at the centre of the debate on traffic. Commuters and people working in tech parks say they often have to spend two-and-a-half hours on the road to cover less than 10 kilometres. For the most part, poor traffic management and infrastructure are to blame.
Ramkumar Narayanan, a resident of Whitefield and former member of Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA), said the biggest challenge in terms of traffic is between Agara and K.R. Puram. This part of the city sees the worst kind of congestion. “One reason is that there are a lot of companies along the stretch, most of which have just one entry and exit. All the vehicles from the business parks enter the service roads, which are not designed to take on such vehicular load,” he said.
ORRCA has been in talks with the government to get a little over 30 side roads leading to ORR re-laid and maintained to release pressure from the main road. It’s not just ORR that is facing traffic problems.
Seema Sharma, who travels from her house in Bellandur to Whitefield, calls the stretch a traffic hot zone. “I have to cross multiple intersections, including Kundalahalli Gate, where there is a permanent bottleneck. It is the main entry to ITPL and EPIP. There are constructions going on. The whole area is a mess. Though the distance is just 8.5 km, I spend over two-and-a-half hours on the road. I have started to avoid the route now.”
Adding to the problem is the growing number of vehicles. In the last one year, close to 7 lakh vehicles have been added to the city roads. According to the Road Transport Department, vehicle registration in Bengaluru has gone up to 71.32 lakh from 64 lakh in 2016. What this means for the city is no respite from traffic problems, spending more time on the roads, fall in productivity and more protests from residents seeking permanent solutions.
Is public transport the answer?
Residents and experts feel that enhancing and improving the public transport system, including Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation services, Metro and suburban rail, can go a long way in addressing the issue. “The need of the hour is to reduce the number of single occupant vehicles on the road. This can only be achieved if we have a better rail network with frequent trains, metro work is expedited to connect other parts of the city and further improve BMTC services,” said Pravir Bagrodia, member of Whitefield Rising.
Meanwhile, many say carpooling and private bus/shuttle services such as that of Zipgo can effectively help tackle the traffic problem. “There must be a change in people’s mind-set. Until people decide not to take their cars out and patronise public transport, including those run by private players, solution will be far from sight. On its part, the government needs to provide better road infrastructure and last-mile connectivity,” said Seema Sharma, a software engineer.
What tech parks say?
Electronics City Industries Association (ELCIA) has been encouraging employees to use public transport. “BMTC has 400 buses that service Electronics City, making 3,700 trips a day. But, we have been asking the corporation to increase the service,” said N.S. Rama, Chief Executive Officer, ELCIA. She said that shuttle buses introduced by BMTC between Silk Board and Electronics City, and Neeladri Road to Electronics City east phase have been very popular.
“BMTC must introduce more such short-route services and mini buses. And instead of all of them starting from Silk Board, some can start from Jayadeva hospital, Jayanagar Metro, NICE Road and Yelachenahalli,” she added.
On its part, ELCIA has been asking companies to stagger work timings. “We are trying to bring in discipline in terms of creating designated stops for vans and buses, but managing traffic has been difficult,” Ms. Rama added.
The spokesperson of Embassy Group said that they have been working with BMTC over a number of years to continually increase the use of public transport. Over 95 buses ply in and out of Manyata tech and 4,000 employees use them, he said.
“We have made numerous requests to multiple parties to open up more access and egress points into and out of the tech park.”
The group has introduced the Green Rider initiative to promote carpooling. “It has reduced the percentage of single passenger vehicles by 9% since May 2017. As part of the Green Rider initiative, we have partnered with three leading carpooling apps. Additionally, we have set up designated pick and drop spots around the park, which act as a temporary space to park while they wait for their passengers. We continue to encourage park users to carpool, stagger timings and use public transport,” the spokesperson said.
What people say
Vineet Vakil, general secretary, Karnataka State IT/ITES Employees Union, says, “When it comes to public transport, IT areas have been neglected. Also, there is no systematic approach to manage intersections and signals. On part of the union, we are planning to create a platform for employees to raise concerns with regards traffic and other issues. We will take these concerns to the government.”
Ramkumar Narayanan, resident of Whitefield”, says, “The government wants to attract business to the city, but it does not understand that the city does not have adequate infrastructure to support this growth.”
