CONGESTION TAX ALONE NO CURE FOR B'LURU TRAFFIC

To help ease Bengaluru’s worsening traffic congestion, Karnataka’s Fifth State Finance Commission, in its report tabled in the Assembly, recommended a congestion charge on the lines of London’s system.

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Under the proposal, vehicles entering some of the city’s busiest stretches—including parts of the Outer Ring Road and other heavily crowded corridors—would have to pay a fee, which would be collected automatically through FASTag. The goal is to limit private vehicle use and raise money for urban infrastructure in the five city corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority. The London model, started in 2003, uses electronic detection to charge vehicles entering certain zones each day, encouraging people to use public transport and easing road congestion.However, this proposal may be tackling the problem in the wrong order. Bengaluru’s jams are not just caused by too man