Ban motorised traffic in Bengaluru's Cubbon Park, IISc report recommends
BENGALURU: An Indian Institute of Science’s (IISc) technical report released on Thursday urged the state government to completely ban motorised traffic inside Cubbon Park.
This is in the wake of the park, which was closed since Covid-19 lockdown, being thrown open for vehicular traffic on Wednesday.
“Closure of the park to traffic will lead to preservation of an important green and ecological space for the well-being of people,” stated the report, ‘Traffic impact analysis of closing Cubbon Park for all motorised vehicles in Bengaluru city’ prepared by Dr Ashish Verma, associate professor, transportation systems engineering, department of civil engineering and research scholars of IISc.
“The roads adjoining the park and elsewhere in CBD are already congested and functioning at the worst level even if traffic is allowed inside Cubbon Park. The permanent and sustainable measure is to improve public transport networks coupled with dis-incentivisation of personal modes by measures like banning traffic in the park. This will induce a shift towards more sustainable modes like public transport, walking, and cycling,” it said.
The report urged for a survey in institutions functioning inside the park to map origin-destination of their employees and visitors. “Targeted improvements in bus and Metro connectivity can be done to make it easy for them to use public transport to reach the park,” it added.
It also recommended a service-quality assessment of pedestrian and cycling facilities in and around the park. “Targeted improvements in walking and cycling facilities can be done to improve last-mile connectivity of public transport (wider and good quality footpaths, cycles paths, cycle-sharing systems with docking locations inside the park and nearby public transport stations, electric micro-mobility options for last mile, electric rickshaws/carts inside the park to help elderly and differently abled etc.),” it stated. It also suggested ways to increase recreational activities and other forms of social engagements inside the park.
“Two weeks after the Horticulture Department requested the chief minister to ban traffic inside Cubbon Park, the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) has recommended the same, demanding that the lung space be reserved for walkers and cyclists. “
In a letter to Horticulture and Sericulture Secretary Rajender Kumar Kataria, DULT Commissioner V Manjula stated that the directorate had received representations from citizen groups to intercede on their behalf for ensuring a traffic-free Cubbon Park.
“There is some thinking on the part of the government to reopen the Cubbon Park for motorised traffic. Cubbon Park would be an ideal place to be reserved for pedestrians and cyclists in Bengaluru,” the letter reads.
he said the directorate “strongly” recommends a ban not only on motorised traffic but also parking.
“Cubbon Park is a vast green space in the heart of the city and its pristine nature needs to be preserved. In various cities across the world, spaces in the city core are being reclaimed for the use of pedestrians and cyclists,” she stated. Pedestrians and cyclists can use the park as a shortcut. Closing the Cubbon Park to motorised traffic will not cause any inconvenience as there are alternative routes, she added. Over the last month,civic activists and environmentalists have been urging the government to preserve the lungs pace by not lifting the traffic ban that was imposed during the lockdown.On August 25, Horticulture Minister K C Narayana Gowda said the department had decided to ban traffic inside Cubbon Park following a meeting with officials. He had said that Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa would take a call on the issue soon.