Car pooling is back in a new and better avatar in Bengaluru. This time, the traffic police are planning shoot off mails to software professionals to create awareness about the positive aspects of carpooling in the city, which sees traffic gridlocks especially on roads leading to IT hubs.
Traffic jams are reported on Bannerghatta Road, Hosur Road or Old Airport Road every day. The traffic police will now put up hoardings on these roads to popularise carpooling.
Increasing petrol prices too is being put forth as the arguing point to draw techies to the initiative.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M.A. Saleem says that a large number of cars to IT companies go with only the driver in them. With carpooling, the number of vehicles heading to these IT hubs can be reduced significantly, he felt.
“It will benefit the IT professionals who are now forced to drive in congested traffic. With carpooling, at least 50 per cent of car traffic can be reduced on these roads. We are involving IT majors located in Whitefield, Electronic City, K.R. Puram, Bannerghatta Road, Outer Ring Road and Koramangala Inner Ring Road for the campaign, which will be launched this month,” he said.
But IT professionals are divided over the issue. “We can start to office together, but we cannot say anything about leaving the office together as the timings change every day depending on the workload. It is a good project, provided it works. When it was tried two years ago, it was not a great success,” said a software professional working at Manyata Tech Park.
Dr H.S. Sudhira, an expert on traffic, said IT professionals should take up the initiative themselves, as it helps in solving the city’s traffic problems. “A number of professionals leave from same areas to their offices. The IT companies too should encourage their employees to opt for carpooling,” he said.