4 min readBengaluruAug 8, 2023 09:31 PM IST
First published on: Aug 8, 2023 at 09:24 PM IST
The Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, has synthesised around 10,000 responses received through the online portal of Brand Bengaluru in the mobility and transportation space. Brand Bengaluru is an ambitious vision of the ruling Congress government in Karnataka to work on decongesting Bengaluru and help the city become greener and sustainable.
Different institutes and organisations have been tasked by the government to collate and synthesise the feedback received through the Brand Bengaluru portal and submit a report to the government.
In the mobility and transport space, the IISc Bengaluru was tasked to analyse around 10,000 responses and compile them before the stakeholders, including the BMTC (Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation), the BMRCL (Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd), the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike), the K-RIDE (Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Company), the DULT (Directorate of Urban Land Transport), civil society groups, the NGOs among others, do so.
On Tuesday, the IISc Bengaluru’s civil engineering department headed by professor Ashish Verma and his team presented multiple suggestions submitted by the citizens of Bengaluru in the mobility and transportation space through the Brand Bengaluru portal.
The suggestions are largely based on solutions that are sustainable and liveable. From demanding more frequency of BMTC buses to fast tracking Metro works and coming up with pedestrian-friendly streets, the suggestions centred around multi modal and synchronised mobility solutions for Bengaluru. In fact, the suggestions also included incentivising public transport users, especially the office goers who can benefit from public transport by buying tickets in bulk.
The citizens also demanded the government to activate the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority immediately to ensure that the mobility and transport related policies are in sync with all civic agencies and smooth implementation of decisions. As per the BMLTA Act, the authority is responsible for planning and coordinating transport in the Bengaluru Metropolitan Area.
Some of the other suggestions included providing late night public transport services, introducing behavioural interventions among public transport operators, crackdown on footpath encroachments, allowing left turns, introducing more one way roads, signal free corridors, synchronised signals, legalisation of motorbike taxis among others.
In fact, the citizens also demanded tunnel roads, an ambitious concept of Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D K Shivakumar. However, Verma, speaking to The Indian Express, said, “Tunnel roads and flyovers can be viable options only when they fulfill the conditions of sustainability and liveability. Otherwise, they will only attract more vehicles, therefore increasing carbon emission.”
Shivakumar has been holding marathon meetings with engineering consultancy firms to receive inputs on the tunnel road and peripheral ring road project.
On Tuesday, he also extended the ‘expression of interest’ (EOI) for the tunnel road project till August 17. Shivakumar also stated that the Centre has sought a report on the tunnel road project. “I met Union Minister of Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari last week to discuss the traffic congestion in Bengaluru. The traffic congestion is mainly due to the vehicles coming from national highways like Mysore, Kolar, Hosur and Nelamangala, which is choking Bengaluru. Thus, a peripheral ring road on the outskirts and a 150 km tunnel road in the city is required to ease out the traffic menace. The Centre has sought a detailed report on this project,” said Shivakumar.
IISc Bengaluru’s civil engineering department headed by professor Ashish Verma and his team presented multiple suggestions submitted by the citizens of Bengaluru in the mobility and transportation space through the Brand Bengaluru portal. (Express Photo) 
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