Traffic moves slowest in Bangalore

With more than 3.5 million vehicles, Bangalore enjoys the unenviable distinction of recording the slowest traffic movement on roads across major cities in India.

According to a recent study, the peak hour traffic in Bangalore virtually crawls at 10 kms per hour compared to Delhi’s 15 kms per hour and Mumbai’s 18 kms per hour.

The nation-wide study on “Traffic and Transportation Policies and Strategies in Urban Areas in India” conducted by Wilbur Smith Associates on behalf of Federal Ministry of Urban Development shows Kolkata’s peak hour traffic movement to be 20 kms per hour and Chennai’s 22 kms per hour.

The survey was conducted across 30 major cities of India and took into consideration the traffic movement speed during peak hours in the morning and evening.

Experts have attributed the sluggish traffic movement in Bangalore to the alarming growth in vehicular population in Bangalore, which is also ranked highest in the country at 14 per cent against the national average of 10 per cent.

The rate of growth in vehicular population even in major cities like Chennai and Delhi is around 8 per cent and 7 per cent respectively.

However, Bangalore stood third in the country in terms of road accidents with the City recording 7,575 accidents that claimed 833 deaths in one year.
Mumbai led the table with 21,678 accidents in which 787 people were killed followed by Delhi, which accounted for 9,351 accidents and 2,023 deaths. Hyderabad took th efourth place with 6,149 accidents and 1,196 deaths.