Bangalores transport planning needs serious rethink The midnight massacre of trees in Koramangala is characteristic of how things work

in Bangalore today. Its not long back that BBMP felled 17 trees on Sankey Road for another controversial project, braving midnight rains. Citys administration seems to be bulldozing its way through projects, completely disregarding public good, public opinion, laws of the land and even the courts. Trees are only the most obvious casualties. The advantages of our green friends are many they provide shade, keep the temperatures down and reduce pollution, are home to birds and many other species, besides making the city beautiful. Its not just a tree, but an ecosystem. A recent study by IISc researchers showed that the area under vegetation in Bangalore has reduced from 71% in 1973 to a meager 12% today! Much of this butchery has been to address the citys traffic woes - to build wider roads, flyovers, elevated roads and signal-free corridors. However, despite all this, the situation has only worsened. The beautiful trees on Sheshadri Road fell to widen the road today the situation is no different, if not worse. The story of Bellary Road, Hosur Road or any other road is the same. The reason seems simple enough a growing vehicle population quickly fills up extra road space. So, such solutions either dont work or are short term at best! A most disturbing trend is the blatant disregard for law and public opinion in the conception and execution of such infrastructure projects. They are controversial and heavily contested, with increasing public opposition over the years. Many of these projects also violate laws like Town and Country Planning Act (which mandates public consultation), Preservation of Trees Act etc. The High court, on a 2008 PIL by ESG on road-widening, has directed the authorities to strictly comply with these laws on such projects. Besides, Koramangala and Sankey Road projects were themselves in court. Signal-Free corridors A large population in Bangalore travels by bus and on foot. Additionally, the mobility needs of the elderly, children and differently-abled require special attention. Signal-free corridors make it dangerous and even impossible to cross the road or commute in the city. Wide signal-free roads encourage overspeeding, increasing the chances of accidents. The death toll on our major roads is already too high. Such misguided projects should be immediately stopped. What we need is a significant rethink on addressing the citys traffic needs. Across the world, cities are tearing down freeways, slimming roads, calming traffic, creating bus and cycle lanes, making streets pedestrian-friendly etc. This may be the direction towards sustainable, safe and healthy transport for Bangalore too. - Shaheen Shasa, volunteer, Hasiru Usiru (Hasiru Usiru is a network of individuals and organizations, working on issues related to streets, mobility and commons, since 2005)