CITY TO LAUNCH TRAFFIC IMPACT POLICY SOON

The municipal administration and urban development (MA&UD) will soon implement a traffic impact policy (TIAP) in the city. The policy, which the GHMC claims is the first of its kind in the country, was first mooted two years ago.

After implementation of the policy, builders of major projects will have to submit a traffic impact assessment (TIA), while applying for building permission.

According to MA&UD officials, the corporation has proposed the standard number of vehicles per hour for different kinds of buildings, so as to estimate the increase in traffic on a particular stretch of road in future. Trip Generation Rates (TGR), as they are called, have been fixed for 23 land use classes, including supermarkets, multiplexes, theatres and others. They said the GHMC had concentrated on parking spaces, setbacks, greenery, and rainwater harvesting pits. Although high-rise buildings are supposed to provide 44 per cent parking space, they had done nothing about the traffic snarls they caused on adjacent roads, officials said. The corporation, for instance, would accord building permission to a mall with seating capacity of 2,000 if it provides parking for 750 vehicles.

A senior MA&UD official said that the TIAP would come into force within a few months. He said that the assessment not only includes general impact relating to transport management (road efficiency and safety), but also considers specific impacts on all road users, including on-road public transport, pedestrians and heavy vehicles.