The Deccan Chronicle 02.08.2010

Flyovers may not solve traffic troubles: Experts

Aug.1: City corporations officials are so confident that flyovers are the answer to all the traffic woes of Chennai that new flyovers are being built on a regular basis. The city now has 15 flyovers and three more are in the pipeline.

Experts, however, are not sure that flyovers are such a good idea. While acknowledging the fact that flyovers play some part in preventing traffic snarls, experts and civic activists believe that in the long run flyovers will cause more problems than they solve in the short term.

“City planners are oblivious to the fact that flyovers, which they put forward as solutions for traffic snarls, just shift the traffic bottlenecks from one spot to another,” said Abdul Razak Mohammed of the department of planning, Anna University. “Add to this an inefficient traffic management system and the whole problem of traffic congestion unveils before you.”

“If the government wants to erase the problem, then it needs to prepare a comprehensive plan, integrating the city with the growing suburbs,” he added.

Hariesh K. Sankar, chief architect, BeenBee Consultants, is also of the opinion that planners should come up with projects on the outskirts and not focus only on the centre of the city. “Several European cities faced the same problem as Chennai, but their town planners managed with practical solutions,” Mr Hariesh said.

“Instead of more flyovers, congested areas like Panagal Park and T Nagar should be made vehicle-free zones, with only bicycles allowed. Ancient cities like Milan have been able to retain their charm through such initiatives,” he pointed out. According to data collected from the state transport department, as of March 1 this year, 30,53,870 vehicles are jostling for space on the roads of Chennai.