Has Namma Metro helped reduce congestion on the city roads?
Mysuru Road and Old Madras Road, both served by the metro, continue to have high congestion with a Congestion Index of 4.6 and 2.38, respectively. This means these corridors carry 4.6 and 2.38 times more vehicles than their capacity, respectively. Ulsoor Road, also served by metro, has a Congestion Index of 2.21.
City Traffic Police Control Cell in Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd. (KRDCL) conducted the study recently for Namma Metro, the findings of which are part of the Environment Impact Assessment Study for the Gottigere-Nagawara metro line.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) R. Hitendra said that while there were no studies to conclusively assess the impact of metro on congestion, he anecdotally said metro seems to have accommodated the growth in congestion, but yet to help reduce congestion.
“We have also observed that more bus commuters seem to be shifting to metro rather than private vehicle commuters. This may be because of issues in last-mile connectivity and lack of a robust network across the city,” he said, hoping that opening of the Green Line will be a game-changer.
“With completion of Phase I, Namma Metro, for the first time, will provide a network from end-to-end of the city,” he said. While the present ridership of Namma Metro is 1.75 lakh, this is expected to rise to 5 lakh with the commissioning of the entire Phase I.
However, Pawan Mulukutla, Head, Integrated Transport, WRI India, said that the Phase I has only added a network of 42.3 km and aiding only those residents along the alignment of the metro line.
“In 2001, there were 15 lakh vehicles in the city, which has now increased to 67 lakh. We are only trying to fix the supply line by adding metro lines and bus services, but not doing anything to address the demand for commute infrastructure. Unless we do that we will not solve the problem of congestion,” he said, suggesting measures like not providing parking facilities for buildings along the metro corridors.
Adding to congestion at Majestic?
Namma Metro seems to have added to the footfall and congestion in the Majestic area. Also with the highest number of junctions (22), the area has emerged as one of the most congested areas in core city. “The Majestic area has developed into an inter-modal transport hub with Namma Metro being added to the bus and rail hubs. The footfall is over 10 lakh even on any weekday. With the metro interchange, this will only increase many folds. A jam in Majestic and Platform Road has a ripple effect till Cubbon Road,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) R. Hitendra said. Platform Road, the road connecting Kempegowda Bus Stand and Malleswaram, has emerged to be the most congested with a congestion index of a whopping 5.78.
