When one talks about traffic congestion in Bengaluru, the first thing that comes to mind is the city’s arterial roads where there is bumper to bumper traffic during peak traffic hours. Similar conditions are now prevailing in residential areas which were once quiet neighbourhoods.
To decongest traffic in residential areas, the Traffic Police will initiate a new programme – Local Area Traffic Management Plan (LATMP). With the active involvement of citizens and resident welfare associations, the cops will draw up traffic management plans for neighbourhoods that are seeing rampant commercialisation.

Schools, hospitals, commercial complexes and the recent Metro have led to robust commercialisation in residential areas like Indiranagar, Koramangala, Rajajinagar, Vijayagar and Jayanagar. The increased commerce here is attracting large numbers of vehicles which usually park on both sides of the roads causing regular traffic congestion.

“In the past few months, several resident welfare association members have met me to explain the present traffic situation in the residential areas. After studying the problem, we will now implement LATMP and have chosen Indiranagar as the pilot area since the locality has gone through tremendous commercialisation in the last few years. We held a meeting with Association members on Wednesday and in the coming days, community involvement in traffic management will be visible there,” said Mr M.A. Saleem, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic).

“To begin with, we are planning to regulate parking in residential areas with the help of citizens. For instance, we will go in for one-side parking in Indiranagar so that congestion is reduced to some extent. We have also asked citizens to come up with ideas to maintain traffic in their neighbourhood and the same can be brought before the area police heads,” Mr Saleem explained.

Civic experts, however, caution that the traffic police must draw up a structure so that the programme can be sustained for years to come and be implemented in other areas as well.

“No doubt any initiative which involves citizens and governance is a good initiative, but if there is a lack of proper structure and management, the programme may suffer like many such initiatives in the past,” said Mr Ramesh Ramanathan of Janaagraha Organisation.

‘Citizens form an integral part of traffic management’

What measures is the Traffic Police taking to decongest vehicle movement in residential areas?

Besides implementing the local area traffic management plan, we are asking residents to identify and report unscientific road humps so that they can be removed. We are also going for better signage in residential areas for clarity during vehicle movement. We are calling for citizens to take active part in traffic management and regulate parking in their neighbourhood.

On what levels can citizens help the police?

Citizens form an integral part of traffic management in the city. Especially in residential areas, the welfare association members are important for regulating traffic movement. I am asking people to come forward and suggest measures to improve traffic conditions in their neighbourhoods.

What are the new plans to improve pedestrian traffic on city roads?

We have already asked the BBMP to construct 34 sky-walks with escalators or lifts in crucial junctions. We are also going for reflective painting on Zebra stripes at junctions so that pedestrians can cross along the designated way. More Pelican Lights, which allow pedestrian to cross will be established.

What about congestion around schools?

We are about to implement the Safe Root to School programme along with the Education Department. A GO has been passed in this regard chalking out do’s and don’ts around schools.
The programme has been implemented in 12 schools and we are hoping to begin the programme in 93 city schools before the end of this academic session.

How much is the short staff issue affecting traffic management in the city?

The responsibilities of traffic personnel on the field have doubled even since the volume of vehicles has increased in city. We are now managing with 3,200 policemen and 600 Home Guards. We will soon set up an additional DCP for traffic and about 300 extra policemen will join the fleet.

My view

Dr Ashwin Mahesh

It’s a good initiative from the city traffic police to improve the traffic situation in neighbourhoods. The more we involve citizens in governance, the stronger solutions we create.

Two years back the residents of Defence Colony had approached the Agenda for Bangalore Infrastructure Development (ABIDe) to regulate traffic movement in their neighbourhood following excessive commercialisation. We suggested the involvement of local residents in managing traffic movement in their neighbourhoods.

Similar pressure persists today in majority of neighbourhoods in Bengaluru. The situation is worsening with the Metro.

We have no parking policy being implemented and the BBMP must make car owners pay when they park in residential areas.

Resident welfare associations can facilitate free parking for residents and metered parking for outsiders. What is missing is the lack of enforcement in the basement parking by-law. Majority of old buildings in city have not followed the basement parking norms and thanks to the absence of proper policies, the new buildings too continue to flaunt basement parking laws. We are where we are fundamentally due to lack of proper governance.

(The author is an urban planner and member of ABIDe)