Clever Solutions for Bangalore’s Traffic Problem
With 7.5 million vehicles on roads every day, how do we handle the situation?
In our last article on Bangalore Traffic, we tried to discover the reasons that led to current traffic condition in Bangalore. In this article, we’ll discuss the possible solutions for it.
In the previous article, we received many suggestions on the possible solutions for traffic congestion. The core idea in many suggestions was, the only way to handle the current traffic problem is a well-connected metro/public transport system. I do agree with the point, and in fact, a well-connected metro network would alleviate the traffic problem and is a necessity, however at the same time, I also believe thinking of it as the only solution would limit us to this belief and would prevent us from looking into other ways of handling the problem.
( The solutions discussed above are combined result of our research plus my observations from everyday commute to work. The observations discussed here might not apply to all the situations; however, they can be a crucial starting point. )
Different Vehicles, Different Affordances.

Have you ever come across this scene? If you live in Bangalore and ride a two-wheeler, I’m pretty sure atleast once you would have participated in the activity as well!
Two-wheelers continue to dominate the Bengaluru roads, accounting for 70% of its total vehicular population, followed by cars (19%).
Heavy vehicles like buses, trucks, and cars prevent smaller vehicles like two-wheelers from moving past. Two-wheelers can afford to pass through smaller spaces in traffic congestion. But having just one common lane for all the vehicles; riders often cut through dangerously between the trucks and cars to move speedily. I have often come across situations where, as soon as the riders find a little gap between the heavy vehicles, they keep moving past the heavy vehicles, stopping them from moving ahead. This impedes the traffic behind them and creates a blockage. And when there is not enough space to cut through, riders often drive on the footpaths making it unsafe for both, the rider and the pedestrians.
In Bangalore, we have different types of vehicles and both have their own affordances. The vehicles which are smaller can move faster and should not be made to wait due to the vehicles which afford more space and move slowly. In this case, creating something as simple as a psychological separation for two-wheelers (wherever possible) can significantly improve the situation.

Two-wheelers, autos move faster compared to four-wheelers, buses and trucks; so, it would help if we have separate lanes, so they can move quickly without blocking the traffic and riding dangerously.
Now the question is, will this thing actually work and will people actually follow it? Many of the things that work in other countries fail when implemented in India, or people use it in a completely different way. So, the only way of knowing is to try it out!
Exasperating Traffic, Intelligent Traffic Lights.

In a study conducted by Stockholm Transportation Dept, it was found that traffic congestion shows an exponential nature.
That means, traffic congestion at one junction, propagates exponentially. Fortunately, it works the other way as well. If you clear a certain part of congestion, the traffic clears up faster than you would expect.
Initially, traffic lights were introduced to ease congestion and bring order on what otherwise would be a dangerous intersection of roads. But believe it not, traffic lights nowadays are causing much of the traffic jams.
In fact a new research by DailyMail suggests that much of the traffic jams are caused by traffic lights.
When all of the traffic lights went out on one of the most heavily trafficked roads in Britain the traffic moved smoother with lesser congestion.
Ineffective traffic signals cause more nuisance than service.
One way to look at it is this- Quantum theory of Traffic
Traffic moves in quants or chunks. And every chunk has its own momentum. The more often this momentum is altered, the slower it moves and the slowness is caused by the change, not the number. Which means, if you are traveling on a straight road with five to six traffic signals on the way, the signals should be designed in such a way that when one chunk of traffic leaves one signal, the signal ahead of it becomes green when the chunk reaches there.
We need traffic signals that collect data from all directions and adjust the signal timing accordingly so, chunks of traffic flow smoothly on the roads without much alteration in the momentum. It is referred to as Intelligent Traffic System (ITS).
This system has been implemented in Japan and has given positive results.
( Good news: India is soon going to import ITS technology from Japan and implement it in 29 junctions in Bangalore to test out the system. )
Varying Traffic, Adaptable Lanes.
This concept is purely a result of personal observation. Usually, I have observed, most of the traffic flows in one direction. As a result, one of the lanes is heavily populated and the other very little.
On the roads where there is no physical separation between the lanes, the lane in which traffic is greater pushes the vehicles and takes up space in the other lane. However, when the width of the lanes is fixed, results in heavy traffic on one side and very little on the other.
This behavior could be the result of several factors like common office timings, vicinity of tech parks etc.
How about having adaptable lanes that alter their width and give more space to the lane which has more traffic density according to the time of the day.

This will help to better utilize the existing real estate, as traffic on both sides doesn’t require equal space all the times.
This idea is still in its conceptual level and I haven’t yet explored the implementation details. A similar concept referred to as Modular Lanes exists but the idea is still in its infancy.
The story ends here. Or maybe it doesn’t.
We feel safe to conclude that even though a better metro connectivity would improve the traffic situation, but with an ever increasing number of people migrating to Bangalore, we need better ways to handle traffic. Delhi has one of the biggest metro networks in the world, yet suffers from traffic congestion.
Although, major reforms like replanning of the city and increasing the size of existing roads could be taken as long-term goals, using the existing space properly, using technology to manage traffic flow and separating lanes for smaller and heavier vehicles can serve as the short-term solutions to improve the existing traffic condition.
Acknowledgments
We thank all the people who provided their feedback on the previous article in the series, Bangalore Traffic Problem.
Together we create something great. If you have any improvements/new ideas, please mention them in the comments below. Would be glad to receive your inputs and claps as well!
Useful References
1. Jonas Eliasson: How to solve traffic jams. (TEDx talk)
2. Number of vehicles in Bengaluru doubles rapidly. (TOI Report)
3. 21 Good Reasons to Mark Bike Lanes. (Washington Gov)