Put an end to Bengaluru’s transport issues- Table BMLTA Bill now!

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Hon'ble Chief Minister of Karnataka

Currently, Bengaluru has multiple agencies and departments like the BMTC, BMRCL, Transport Department and BBMP, among others, catering to the transport and mobility needs of the city. Because of the multitude of agencies looking at providing mobility solutions in the city from their own unique perspective, there are often coordination and planning issues, and in some cases a complete lack of alignment between the works being taken up by the different mobility providers in the city. This lack of coordination and integrated foresight into having a common vision for the city’s transport and mobility can and has resulted in projects getting delayed or worse- projects which worsen the traffic and transport situation in the city getting completed.

While this situation is not limited only to Bengaluru and is the case across the country, Bengaluru can take the lead by putting together a unified transport and mobility authority - one body that plans, convenes and coordinates all transport and mobility related needs of Bengaluru! This opportunity for Bengaluru to play a leadership and pioneering role in the country can become a reality if the proposed (revised) BMLTA bill is tabled in the upcoming Session of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.

About the BMLTA Bill:

Initially, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) was established in 2007 as a unified authority with the aim to move from private vehicle-dependent to public transport-oriented development in Bengaluru. Back then, it was given no financial or executive powers but DULT seeks to change this now.

The Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) has prepared and submitted the (revised) draft of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) to the Government. The new bill envisions the authority to be a professional statutory body with financial powers required to coordinate between the different mobility stakeholders, plan for an integrated and comprehensive mobility vision for the city and convene the different stakeholders including civil society in the Bengaluru metropolitan area (BMR).

Why is BMLTA important?

Any transport and mobility related work in the future will be more coordinated and will be according to a common vision for the city.

Potholes, roads and footpaths will get repaired faster because different bodies will not have to coordinate among themselves to fix these issues. We will also not have clashing transport and mobility project plans like we just saw in the case of transport options leading to the airport where two agencies announced a suburban train and metro on the same route.

Bengaluru starts to get a handle on its traffic congestion

With a well coordinated transport and mobility system in the city, Bengaluru will have both the option and the confidence to invest in public transport. We will have the possibility to envision our city as a public-transport dominant city instead of relying on a disaggregated transport and mobility system which leads to an increasing dependence on private vehicles.

It will ensure seamless integration with various public transport and para-transport modes, thus improving connectivity and accessibility to sustainable transport and mobility choices across the city.

That means no more worrying about switching between the different transport and mobility providers to travel across the city. Hop-Skip between the metro-bus-suburban-auto-ecycles in any order and you’re there!

It will save your time.

People using public transport will get to travel in the fastest, most convenient and safe manner across the city.

It will reduce cost of travel in Bengaluru metropolitan region.

Not only will you travel across the city in the fastest and safest possible manner, you also get to save money. It will also mean that by using a rechargeable single-mobility card (for example; a One-Bangalore card) you don’t have to worry about buying multiple tickets to switch between the metro-suburban-bus or auto-ecycles. All your mobility expenses will be taken care of automatically by using a single-mobility card. Just charge or recharge your card and swipe away!

The city would be walker and cyclist friendly.

When the city has a coordinated transport and mobility system that is dependable and safe for women, children, senior citizens and differently-abled, the people of Bengaluru will choose to walk to the nearest public transport or para-transport mode, which inturn makes the city more walkable. Thus, there will be an emphasis on investing in non-motorized mobility projects.

Parking will be coordinated with existing and surrounding land use adjacent to public transport stations/bus stops/terminals

No more overcrowded parking lots adjacent to transport nodes such as bus stops/stations/terminals! This means that an integrated parking policy will be drafted and implemented keeping in mind the adjacent land uses and it will prevent residential areas from being overwhelmed by parking of vehicles

The proposed draft of the BMLTA will be a go-to solution to Bengaluru’s transport and mobility situation.

Campaign Demands:

1. DULT should publish the revised draft of the BMLTA Bill.

2. Table the revised BMLTA bill in the upcoming session and empower BMLTA with legal and financial authority to monitor, coordinate, convene and plan for Bengaluru’s transport and mobility future.

Sign this petition to let the Hon. Chief Minister, Shri Basavaraj Bommai (also the Minister-in-charge for Bengaluru’s development) know that we want the revised bill of BMLTA tabled in the upcoming session of the Karnataka State Assembly.

Sign the petition to show your support and share it in your network! #BMLTABeku

Update as of 27/09/21:

MILESTONE- DULT has now published the draft of the bill!

Subject (required):

Dear (cc ),

Email body

Dear Shri Bommai,

Namaskara!

I am writing to you today as a concerned citizen who wants better mobility and transport solutions for Bengaluru and believes the BMLTA Bill is a step in that direction.

Making cities with less commute time for all remains a significant challenge across the world. The exponential private vehicular ownership coupled with a wide gap in public transport network has only exacerbated the problem of a poorly planned and unsustainable transport system. Bengaluru unfortunately typifies this problem- the absence of multi-modal integration and a vehicle oriented as opposed to a people-oriented transit model.

There are numerous agencies and state government departments that currently cater to Bengaluru’s  transportation and mobility needs, including the BMTC, BMRCL, KRIDE, Transport Dept, and the BBMP, amongst others. Each of them of course serve a critical function.

At the same time, each of them work in isolation and often without any coordination with the other agencies leading to a lack in alignment and operational efficiency.  While there have been various positive measures taken by these agencies and the Government of Karnataka, the provision of an integrated and reliable public transport system is conspicuous by its absence. Essentially and in effect, Bengaluru still lacks an operational mechanism to bring together bus, metro, and suburban rail and integrate them with first- and last-mile options.

It is clear that an institutional approach to address this issue is urgently needed. Such an approach will also open up opportunities for enhanced multimodal integration, increased use of public transport such as buses, trains, and metros, and consequently, lead to a reduction in traffic congestion and improved air quality in the city.

In this context, the following sections serve as a summary of roles and responsibility of an overarching agency to perform the following functions:

- Plan – Serve as the statutory organization in charge of setting up a unified vision for the city’s transport and mobility and developing the city's transportation and mobility plans and their subsequent effects on commute times and mobility patterns.
- Convene - Convene all agencies and relevant stakeholders delivering mobility services in the city and sign off on transport and mobility projects in the Bangalore Metropolitan Area (BMA) and align all such projects with the unified transport and mobility vision for the city .
- Coordinate – Coordinate with the various line agencies to ensure that all of their projects adhere to its vision of the city's transportation needs.

Importantly, such an agency is also necessary from the perspective of ensuring a platform for a participatory visioning of the city through wider and more active public consultation processes undertaken.

The need for such a unified approach is neither new or necessarily innovative. There have been various iterations of this discussed in the past. At this point of time though, we believe the city is in a good position to show leadership by developing a cohesive approach that enables coordinated planning for all of Bengaluru's transportation and mobility demands.

This could become an important formulation as part of your Government’s commitment to reduce traffic congestion, increase the share of public transport, improve air quality standards besides of course meeting the mobility needs of citizens of Bengaluru.

I, along with several other citizens, trust that you will sincerely consider our request and take concrete steps on this, including the formation of an overarching urban metropolitan transport authority.
 
Anticipating a positive response from your good office and the tabling of the BMLTA Bill.
 
Thanking You
Warm Regards

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