Anyone who lives in Bengaluru is keenly aware of the high levels of traffic congestion here. People are forced to spend hours stuck in traffic jams. A 2017 study by the cab aggregator Ola had found that Bengaluru had the slowest-moving traffic in India, with average speed on some roads, like the Outer Ring Road (ORR), dropping to a measly 4.4 km/h, slightly lower than the average walking speed!
One of the main constraints on road capacity is junctions where there are conflicting turning movements. For example, if you wish to turn right and the vehicles travelling in the opposite direction towards you want to go straight, one of you has to stop and wait for your turn.
Unsurprisingly, this adds substantially to journey time. One solution to this is ‘grade-separated’ junctions where bridges and underpasses are built to enable vehicles to keep moving in their desired direction, without having to cross oncoming traffic.
Taken a step further, this is the essence of the ‘elevated corridors’ project proposed by the government. The elevated corridors connecting the suburbs to the city center and to each other, are meant to enable seamless, stop-free travel between any of the corridors’ entry and exit points.
Although a route map has been provided, there are conflicting figures for the total length of the elevated corridors – 92.2 km, 97.145 km and 102.04 km are all quoted in different places. Nevertheless, they consist of a 27 km north-south corridor, two parallel east-west corridors of approximately 30 km length each, and three additional connecting corridors.
Although a route map has been provided, there are conflicting figures for the total length of the elevated corridors – 92.2 km, 97.145 km and 102.04 km are all quoted in different places. Nevertheless, they consist of a 27 km north-south corridor, two parallel east-west corridors of approximately 30 km length each, and three additional connecting corridors.
Source : Deccan Herald
Most of these elevated roads, with a few exceptions, terminate in densely populated urban and suburban areas. Hopefully, adequate studies have been carried out to assess the impact on local, surface roads at the terminating points of these corridors.
Also, elevated corridors will attract traffic that currently uses the ORR (Outer Ring Road) because, unlike the ORR, these would be fully grade separated and of much higher quality. Trips along these corridors will be shorter as well. This would not just create road capacity issues, but also increase the environmental impact in the city center by funneling more vehicles to inner city areas.
The government says the elevated corridor will help ease the conditions on the streets as there is massive traffic congestion which is just increasing. But a new road or flyover will just be giving the people a green sign to go buy that new vehicle they always wanted. When the traffic issue only gets worse with every flyover that Bangalore builds, whats to say that the elevated corridor wont end up in the same fate as the other 50 flyovers of the city.
Source : Deccan Chronicle
Bangalore's lungs, the Cubbon Park is said to lose an estimated 120 trees to the project and a total of 3600 trees are estimated to be cut throughout the city for it's construction.
Source : Dreamstime
The alternatives to the elevated corridor -
1. Fine-tune signal timings at all junctions.
2. Develop bus terminals on outskirts.
3. Stop BMTC routes that are extra long.
4. Efficient route management of BMTC buses.
5. Stop running empty Volvo buses for software parks.
6. Introduce a pay-and-park for all streets in Bangalore.
7. Introduction of suburban rail through the 52 unused railway stations that run along the periphery of the city, with excellent connectivity.
8. Allow buses to carry bikes.
9. Have a separate bus lane on all roads.
10. Promote car pooling.
1. Fine-tune signal timings at all junctions.
2. Develop bus terminals on outskirts.
3. Stop BMTC routes that are extra long.
4. Efficient route management of BMTC buses.
5. Stop running empty Volvo buses for software parks.
6. Introduce a pay-and-park for all streets in Bangalore.
7. Introduction of suburban rail through the 52 unused railway stations that run along the periphery of the city, with excellent connectivity.
8. Allow buses to carry bikes.
9. Have a separate bus lane on all roads.
10. Promote car pooling.
Thus, as a part of a course in activism, we acquired the construction plans of the elevated corridor and chose a road where it was proposed to be built. We then visited the road and clicked photos of how it looks currently. The road I chose was the Double Road right in front of the Shanti Nagar Bus Stop.
KRDCL Bengaluru Elevated Corridor North-South Package-2 Drawings page-0019
Using the construction plan, a 3D model of the section of the elevated corridor was made.
After this, the renders were merged with one chosen photo to create three scenes - Present, During Construction and After Construction.
Double Road at present
During construction of Elevated Corridor
After completion of Elevated Corridor
These images of Present, During and After were then exhibited and was open for all to see, be aware and understand how the beauty of the city can be destroyed by this monstrous project and how the congestion would just increase. Along with that, we would also lose the view of the beautiful blue skies due to the width of the elevated corridor.
Our class also took part in actively joining the Elevated Corridor Beda Protest that took place on Saturday, March 16th 2019, at Gandhi Statue, Maurya Circle near Race Course.
58 organizations and citizen groups came together in this protest gathering which saw more than 2500 people coming out from across the city on a busy Saturday morning to Maurya Circle on Sheshadri Road. The very lively gathering of citizens of all ages and gender and class rang with clear calls of not only “Tender Raddu Maadi” and “Elevated corridors beda“, but also “Bus lanes beku“, “Suburban rail beku“, “Cycling and footpaths beku“.
The organizations supporting the campaign include “Citizens for Bengaluru”, “Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike”, Environment Support Group, Bangalore Environment Trust, CIVIC, Garment & Textile Workers Union etc, student groups such as The Student Outpost, Students for Development and many residents associations from across the city.
A class photo in the protest.
Some of the visuals created by Citizens for Bangalore that were used for the protest.
