I spend 90 minutes on a bus or 60 minutes on motorcycle making the 18.5-kilometer commute to work in traffic-snarled Bangalore, India's technology hub everyday. Traffic now crawls along at an average speed of 10 kilometers an hour during the morning and evening rush hours.
Now I believe relief is on the way, a $1.5 billion rail system “namma metro” being built in the city will change my life. The Metro will be a boon for people like us. The state-owned Bangalore Metro Rail says that it may be overwhelmed by the time the first train leaves the station in 2011. The amount of time you spend on the roads is stressful. It has done wonders in Delhi and Calcutta. It will definitely be of a great help to Bangalore, a growing metro. I may not be wrong if I say it will help to reduce traffic and travel time in the already crowed city. Secondly, the reduction in traffic will cut down vehicular pollution thereby silently contributing to the reduction of global warming. Since the Metro runs on electricity, it will hardly emit any of the greenhouse gases directly. So, we will also be helping the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) earn a fortune by trading carbon credits.
However, sometimes I feel that I may be disappointed. The statistics show the metro rail in Delhi has eased only 30-35% of the traffic problems. Metro rail might help in easing the traffic problems only if proper planning is done. It needs to evaluate what is the traffic rate between various places. What is the profile of people traveling e.g. will a CEO of a company travel by metro? Is there enough space for a station or will it just add to the congestion and unnecessary slaughter of the greenery? In Delhi, it did not prove to be a success because of the status attached to it and in the same context; it might not work in Bangalore either.
Once the Metro is up and running in Bangalore it must carry all necessary features of regular escalators and ramps to facilitate more and more people and not only the young but also the aged and physically challenged. It can be successful because of its exceptional reach, speed and convenience to anyone who takes it as a pleasure ride rather than it being a peak hour alternate transit system.
By Vikash Ranjan
Friday, March 14, 2008
“Namma Metro”- Is it a Boon or Bane?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Yes " namma metro" would surely bring some relief to commuters. However it may not be as effective as in places like Kolkata. Because as you have rightly pointed out, many of Bangalorean commuters would prefer a car than a train (the status issue).
If Bangaloreans are enlightened/ made to realise the fact that metro rails are more environmentally friendly, then may be the usage would increase.
poolsakkkkkkkkkkk namma metro is the best metro
not bad for a debate. can u plzz make it debate type
the Metro is up and running in Bangalore it must carry all necessary features of regular escalators and ramps to facilitate more and more people and not only the young but also the aged and physically challenged. It can be successful because of its exceptional reach, speed and convenience to anyone who takes it as a pleasure ride rather than it being a peak hour alternate transit system.
Congress Youth Leader in Bangalore Central
Post a Comment