Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

On track?

Photo: V. V. Krishnan

ENOUGH NUMBERS? Will the Metro Rail manage to gather the numbers it requires to be successful?

The metro rail project has often been touted as the ultimate mass transport solution to Bangalore's congestion problem. With each passing day, the city's roads are getting tougher to negotiate as the number of private vehicles grows unchecked. With other initiatives such as road widening and flyovers failing to provide a satisfactory resolution, our traffic needs grow more urgent. However, with the present plan of the metro covering only certain sections of the city, sceptics question its applicability. After all, they say, the point of the Metro is to make people stop using private transport, which it is felt will not take place if only select parts of the city are covered by it. Is the city willing to put its faith in the metro rail project (or even the monorail, which is aiming to be a feeder service) and give itself some much needed room to breathe? RAKESH MEHAR polls Bangaloreans on whether they are willing to give up the comfort of private vehicles and ride the rail through the city.

Photos: Bhagya Prakash K.

I would give it a try before deciding. The city's population has grown too much, and the roads are too congested. We need to try out any new solution that comes up before we decide if it's worth it or not.

Ashwini
Call centre executive

I will definitely use the metro. I rode on the metro in Delhi, and found it very comfortable and fast. With the increase in traffic here, it is the best solution. I am eagerly waiting for it to take off in Bangalore.

Vijay
Call centre executive

My using it depends on how good the service is. It shouldn't be like the BMTC buses, which are always overcrowded and never punctual. Also it has to come up soon. If it is going to take 10 years, there's no point.

Prashanth
Lawyer

Public transport is much cheaper, especially since the petrol prices are rising so rapidly. But using our own vehicles gives us one advantage that the etro cannot — comfort. I would still prefer my own bike.

Siddarth
Student

I would like to use it since it reduces travel time, is eco-friendly and is much better than any other form of public transport. But I will use it only if it is comfortable and is expanded to include the whole city.

Vijay
Student

The main issue is accessibility. For us, the majority of travel is from home to the office, and the metro has to cover those routes. There's no point if I have to pay a lot to travel from the Metro stop to my home.

Raja
Lawyer

Yes, I will definitely use the metro. We will be able to move around much faster on it than on bikes. And nowadays, the traffic is just too much. It won't be very easy to use a bike in the city for much longer.

Adith
Student

I will definitely use the Mmetro, provided it is convenient. It has a lot of advantages. It can cover long distances much faster, and it's also much safer to travel by it rather than risk the congested roads.

Nikhil
Student

The question is whether the metro will come to fruition at all. The ELRTS project was discussed for years, and it never worked. The reality of displacement and property acquisition also has to be examined.

Sheahan
Lawyer

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail