Traffic woes rise, no solution in sight

With a population of 10.55 lakh, the city has more than 11 lakh vehicles registered. As many as 86% households own at least one car or a two-wheeler. Only 16 % of those using motor vehicles depend of public transport, as against the recommended 80% in the National Urban Transport Policy. According to the draft Master Plan 2031, the share of public transport will fall further unless an effective public transport system is put in place at the earliest. In the absence of efficient publisc transport, commuting has become difficult and time-consuming.

Traffic jams that were rarely encountered in the past have become a routine. This year, as many as 330 accidents have taken place already. Of these, 114 were fatal and 121 people died.

Capacity of roads

A survey conducted by RITES in 2009 showed that the road capacity was then sufficient, although main roads like Madhya Marg, Udyog Marg and Dakshin Marg had started getting congested. Five years down, the situation has only deteriorated.

The pace at which the traffic volume is increasing, roads like Vidya Path, Himalaya Marg, Madhya Marg and Dakshin Marg will get choked by personal vehicles by 2021. With most roads having already been widened to their full capacity, there is a need for planning high capacity mass transport systems.

Heavy traffic flow

In addition to those commuting within the city, around 1.5 lakh vehicles enter or leave Chandigarh on any working day. Madhya Marg carries the maximum traffic as it provides a direct connection to Panchkula, Chandimandir, Pinjore, Kalka, Baddi, Mullanpur and Parwanoo.

The daily inter-city passenger traffic is around 5 lakh trips. Of these around 1.41 lakh or or 28% are through trips. In case of heavy vehicles like trucks, 41 per cent of the traffic is for through movement.

The team of architects and planners that designed the city had made detailed planning for the road network and road sections for each category of roads. However, the implementation has not been done.

The proposals to encourage public transport have been hanging fire. After years of discussion, a detailed project report for a metro was prepared in 2011. However, till date the stakeholders, including Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, have not given clearance to the terms and conditions of the memorandum of understanding.

Another proposal was for a Bus Rapid Transport System. However, was felt that the large number of roundabouts in the city would be a hindrance. Concern was also expressed about how it will impact the green cover. The UT Transport Undertaking is adding to its fleet of buses. It is proposed to increase the frequency of buses on all important routes to improve service. At present, around 1.76 lakh commuters use CTU buses every day.