Could anyone help ease B'luru's traffic jam nightmare? BTP thinks so

NT Correspondent
Bengaluru:

In order to help ease the traffic management in the city, the traffic police have now collaborated with the tech-giant Google to reduce traffic signal wait times for commuters. Speaking to News Trail, Joint Commissioner of police, traffic, Ravikanthe Gowda said, "It is observed that many people use Google Maps for their mobility. But many a time there is no proper information regarding the traffic on it. Now with the collaboration of the BTP and Google, motorists can get updates about the closures and diversions of roads in the city. It will also suggest to citizens an alternate route for that road," he said.

Considering the traffic woes and several infrastructure development projects being carried out across Bengaluru, the BTP has decided to make a platform available for its various teams so that they can update the latest information on Google Maps itself in almost real-time.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Pratap Reddy announced that this is the first time in the country for a police department to directly join hands with Google. “We are excited by the positive impact this can have on reducing traffic congestion, road rage, fuel consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions.” he added.

****

BMTC bus blocks flyover for 2 hours, leaves motorists fuming
 

Bengaluru: A faulty BMTC bus held up traffic on the Lingarajapuram flyover on Thursday afternoon for nearly two hours. A policeman from the Banaswadi Traffic Police Station, said, “A mechanical fault in a BMTC bus caused it to break down and stop near St Charles School, holding up traffic on the flyover for about two hours.”

Some commuters stuck in the jam tried to lift their two-wheelers across the median with the help of auto drivers and go on to the opposite lane. "It was an absolute nightmare and initially we didn't know the reason for the bottleneck," said one of the motorists, adding that traffic cops didn't really bother to communicate clearly with anyone who had to wait for a couple of hours in disdain.

Another motorist, said, "Traffic cops should have made an alternative route or asked the vehicles to go backward, rather than keeping everyone on tenterhooks." However, BMTC authorities were unaware of the incident when contacted by News Trail on Thursday evening.