Prof. (Dr.) Ashish Verma is the Convenor of “IISc Sustainable Transportation Lab. (IST Lab.)”. He has a Ph.D from IIT Bombay, and is currently serving as Professor of Transportation Systems Engineering at the Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. He has authored more than 200 research publications in the area of sustainable transportation.
Most Bengalureans would know what it’s like to get stuck in traffic jams for hours, or having to cancel their trips entirely, due to floods. An IISc study shows this scenario will only worsen with time unless specific policy measures are taken.
Bengaluru has seen hundreds of projects aimed at reducing traffic jams, but these do not solve the problem. Why is this so? And what could be the solution?
During COVID lockdown, we got a glimpse of a liveable Bengaluru where traffic and pollution levels were extremely low. This can be sustained post COVID too, if the city follows some core transport principles.
Comprehensive Mobility Plan does not assess the impact of its proposed measures like elevated corridors or parking policy. It doesn’t clarify how increasing the road capacity would help either
An elevated corridor will only decrease the sustainability of the transport system and overall livability of the city. But a mass rapid public transport scenario like a metro on the same corridor will help the city achieve the right modal share balance.
