Bengaluru's traffic is 3rd slowest, Chennai prefers public transportation: Report

The report also noted that the use of auto-rickshaw is highest in Kochi (32%), while Hyderabad led the way in shared mobility and Bengaluru in digital transactions.

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Bengaluru traffic has many achievements to its name, including once stopping a terrorist attack. Now, a report by cab aggregator Ola has stated that the city's infamously slow traffic is the third slowest among 20 cities surveyed in India, only behind Patna and Kolkata.

Ola's report, 'Ease of Moving Index 2018,' was released by Union Minister for Road Transport Highways, Shipping and Water Resources Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi. The report looked at 20 cities and surveyed 43,000 people.

It noted that the average speed of Bengaluru traffic is 15.5 km per hour, and travel during peak hours takes 162% more time than the same distance travelled during non-peak hours. Unsurprisingly, more than 70% of the city's residents did not find public transit comfortable or time-saving, and believe that last-mile connectivity needs to be improved in the city.

Only 15% of the Bengaluru's residents use public transport, according to the report, and high-density vehicular movement powered by unclean fuels is responsible for 37% of the total PM 2.5 and PM 10 (referring to particulate matter such as pollen, ash and dust particles), sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide emissions in the city. The report also notes that though travelling by metro is cheap, the cost of travelling to and from metro stations can be high, forcing many people to abandon the metro. Improved services of feeder buses at metro stations, ride-sharing alternatives or a dedicated public bicycle system could help improve the last-mile connectivity in the city.

Honoured to have @nitin_gadkari launch first of its kind 'Ease of Moving Index’, India Report 2018. The index offers insights on mobility preferences & aspirations of Indian commuters across 20 cities. More here - https://t.co/jmmoAoOQva@MORTHIndia pic.twitter.com/SPIohvwslU — Ola (@Olacabs) November 1, 2018

The report adds that the population increase in Bengaluru in the last 10 years is the second highest in the country, only behind Hyderabad.

The report meanwhile observed that Chennai had the most sustainable mobility practices among the cities surveyed. It stated that 75% of people in Chennai prefer public transport and praised the city's bus service which carries 1,300 passengers per bus per day, the highest among the cities surveyed. More than 60% of public transport users prefer to travel by bus, and on an average a commuter in Chennai spends less than one hour in transit. However, more than 95% of people in higher income groups in the city do not use buses for daily transport.

Meanwhile, the use of auto-rickshaws is highest in Kochi at 32% of people surveyed. Hyderabad leads the way in shared mobility and Bengaluru in digital transactions. The report also noted the sustainable modes of transport in Mysuru which has a public bicycle sharing system, 'Trin Trin,' that was funded partially by the United Nations. More than 70% of Mysuru's public transport users agreed that conditions of cycle tracks in the city were fair and were available on most major roads.