Mysore police draws up plan to better traffic

Mysore is in transition. The ongoing double track rail work between Bangalore-Mysore, the airport work at Mandakalli and the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Expressway (NICE) between Bangalore and Mysore will make a tremendous impact on this heritage city, in the next one or two years.

The impact is already visible, even before the completion of these three projects. Some global firms have set up shop. A number of shopping malls have sprung up. The land prices and rentals have shot up. The number of vehicles is increasing by the day, adding tremendous pressure on the city's traffic.

"Bearing in mind the impact of these three projects, short-term and long-term perspective plans should be taken up in Mysore, from now alone. Otherwise, Bangalore will gobble up Mysore, making it a part of Bangalore, under a proposed 'Mega Bangalore City' covering Tumkur, Kolar and Mysore and a few other places around Bangalore," Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao said in Mysore on Wednesday.

"Proposals for constructing two highways and elevated roads on three sides of Bangalore are being worked out as part of the mega city. The direction in which the two cities are already moving towards being a single corridor lends support to how Mysore is emerging as a part of Bangalore. The day may not be far off when Mysore becomes a feeder city of Bangalore," he said, citing the example of the new year-eve celebration this year in Mysore, which saw a record crowds from Bangalore.

He was of the opinion that no city should grow beyond 1 million and only satellites should be built around it.

Rao, who was participating in a programme on 'Comprehensive Traffic, Transportation and Infrastructure Panning and Management for Mysore' organised by the Institution of Engineers, said short-term measures should be taken up immediately for better traffic management.

The outgoing police chief set out a three-point agenda "" paid parking, improvement of footpaths and additional KSRTC buses "" for immediate initiation by the civic, transport and police authorities jointly.

He said the city police had drafted a 10-point long-term agenda to tackle the likely three-fold increase in traffic that would result when these projects are completed in the next two years.

The agenda comprised of improved road and footpath quality, better public transport system, diversion of heavy vehicles, better road illumination, traffic regulation, modern road engineering methods, traffic regulation, enforcement and investigation.

Explaining how the parking system is highly disorganised in Mysore, Bhaskar Rao said this was prompting more vehicle thefts and accidents. The most vulnerable were the pedestrians, who accounted for about 60 per cent of the deaths.

The police department was developing a traffic-training centre in Mysore. Already 1,500 children have been taught traffic signal systems.

He suggested increasing the number of city buses from 350 to 500, introduction of low-floor buses and mini buses for a better public transport system. Pay-and-park being another solution it was proposed on Dhanvanthri Road, Devaraj Urs Road, and Sayaji Rao Road.