“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” [Attributed to Abraham Maslow]
The new and only tool now is AI.
The solution for Bangalore’s traffic woes? An AI tool that will let you know in advance where the jams are likely to occur, so that everyone can take alternate routes and create alternate jams! That’s what an entrepreneur has proposed. Many years back someone said that a flyover is something that takes you from one traffic jam to the other faster!
At the risk of sounding pessimistic, the one word that will describe the state of mind of our planners and us (the citizens), it is ‘delusional’. A flyover here, a tunnel there and voila—magical relief! A recent study by Down To Earth on the traffic in top 40 cities in India shows a dismal picture. Traffic in Indian cities do not move and three India cities feature on the top five slowest cities in the world! More cars and roads are not going to solve our traffic problem.
What we need is more footpaths, more buses and other public transport options. And of course, a much higher parking fees in our cities. Many studies have proven that health outcomes of citizens are better in cities that are walkable and have better designed urban spaces. One comment that’s often mentioned is that cities in a tropical country like India is not best suited for walking/cycling to work. Perhaps a work around for that might be walkable streets with enough tree cover. We do occasionally see tree-lined walkways in patches in some of the Indian cities.
Professor Ashok Sircar at the Azim Premji University once mentioned in an academic discussion once mentioned that what we have is civil engineers and architects, and not urban planners. Coupled with the fact is that, despite the 74th Amendment in our Constitution, which was meant to empower local bodies with higher responsibilities and financial resources, it is merely in paper. The local administrative bodies neither have the financial resources or nor administrative wherewithal for reformation.
Much empowered local administrative bodies, a bold vision and investment for public transport, pedestrian friendly infrastructure, stricter enforcement of traffic laws and citizen participation—all that is needed for us to improve the quality of urban life. Yes, AI can fill in the role as relevant tools, but not the be-all and end-all cure.
[Also read: A Walkable Mumbai]