One of the most widely recognised traffic experts, Professor M.N. Sreehari began his journey over 40 years ago while teaching civil engineering. Over the years, he has worked with the government and various action groups on over 1,150 projects on transportation and infrastructure.
A typical day for Professor Sreehari involves talking to road users, meeting traffic management cells, discussions with government officials, studies and impact assessments.
Till date, he has conducted more than 450 technical lectures and reached out to 4 lakh road users on safety issues. He has served in the post of advisor to the State government for traffic, transportation and infrastructure.
“We are working on safety audits for National Highways. I have audited 25 National Highways. Currently, my focus is on road safety standards and road safety requirements for the Public Works Department (PWD),” he says. He is a sounding board for traffic solutions before they are implemented.
Discussing the city’s problems, Professor Sreehari says that work must begin at the top and corruption must be tackled first. “It is important to introduce e-governance to expedite work and ensure a corruption-free process,” he says. His expertise is used by several departments working for road infrastructure and also by airports for runway inspections.
On the issue of transportation, he is currently working on a traffic impact assessment for large scale construction activities. “We are also advising various government agencies on Intelligent Transport System (ITS).” Another pet project is smart parking systems. “The idea is to have full automation in as less space as possible,” he says.
He also believes that the civic administration must arm itself with the latest technologies in order to be able to fill potholes during the monsoon instead of waiting for the rains to stop. “Pedestrian safety issues are being ignored. They must also be taken seriously.”
Discuss Bengaluru’s traffic related issues with Prof. M.N. Sreehari during a web chat on Saturday at 5 p.m. Log on to www.thehindu.co.in.
