Bengaluru City Traffic Police

Through a flurry of tweets recently, senior IPS officer Bhaskar Rao, affirmed that e-autos were the way forward to combat pollution and address the issue of last mile connectivity. Rao, who previously held the post of Transport Commissioner and Director, Security, Vigilance and Operations at the KSRTC  (Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation) says that a lack of imagination, coupled with a centralised approach, is what stops the administration from finding effective solutions to the transport nightmare of Bengalureans. Excerpts from his interview with Citizen Matters. How do you see electric technology working in the context of public transport? I have been…

This article is part of a special series: Air Quality in our Cities The 1.8 lakh and counting auto rickshaws on Bangalore streets are a boon and bane in equal measure. They are literally the last bastion for last mile connectivity in Bangalore but their role in mobility as a connecting cog to the main modes of transport (or access egress)  is unregulated, making them a bit of a nightmare. Public transport, which is often presented as a panacea for the unending nightmare of mobility in a city as crowded as Bangalore, is hampered quite often by issues of last…

Swine Flu in Karnataka: 86 cases recorded in BBMP limits this year As many as 542 cases of Swine Flu have been registered so far in Karnataka and eight people had died, between January 2018 to October 17 2018. The toll continues to rise.  86 people were tested positive in BBMP limits, of which 54 cases were recorded in Bengaluru Urban, by the state's Health and Family Welfare Department. Most of the deceased patients were treated at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD) between August and October. The latest death reported is of a 58 year-old man from Bengaluru south…

LED lights to illuminate Bengaluru airport's second runway in 2019 The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA)'s brand new second runway slated to operate from October 2019 will be powered by energy and cost-saving LED lights. This choice was made to ensure lower maintenance, reduce power cost, ensure higher levels of safety and efficient operations. This will be the only airport in India to have LEDs. In a press release issued by Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), CFO Tom Shimmin said that US based company, ADB Safegate, will be installing the necessary equipment to maintain the airfield’s LED lights such as cables…

Two years ago when the Centre for Smart Cities, the same think-tank that came up with the idea of elevated corridors, formulated a proposal to concretise 29 Bengaluru roads, it was with the vision to build sustainable road infrastructure. Like many ambitious government plans, the execution of the project by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) continues to be stalled by obstacles not taken into consideration during planning. The work has been held up in the absence of clearances from traffic police and due to the onset of monsoon as reported by the media extensively. However,  tender documents related to the project clearly show…

Dear Sir, Sub: Multiplied pedestrian problems after you chose to make your personal residence in J P Nagar 3rd Phase your official residence. I am an 82-year-old resident of J P Nagar in Bengaluru. I shifted my residence from Yelahanka to JP nagar 3rd Phase, closer to the current Chief Minister's house. Due to security protocols around the Chief Minister’s home, the police are forced to clamp restrictions on vehicle movement and parking in the surroundings. This is causing  severe problems to pedestrians, particularly senior citizens, persons with disabilities, school children and mothers accompanying school children. Footpaths are clogged with…

London's Deputy Mayor inaugurates shared network of cities to handle air-pollution:  C40 Air Quality Network, a collective of 14 cities across the world, with Bengaluru and London leading the initiative, was officially launched on July 30.  Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara inaugurated the event to mark the beginning of a global discussion to tackle and share knowledge regarding the steps taken to handle air-pollution. The Deputy Mayor of London, Shirley Rodrigues, listed out measures she intends to implement in the British capital. Imposing toxicity charges on polluting vehicles, and adhering to UK and European air pollution limits are among the…

The residents of Sarjapur Road are spoiled for choice. How would you like to get run over today? A speeding bike? An auto? A car or a SUV? Even a truck if you’re lucky. All plying on the WRONG side of the road. It all started when the stretch of the road from the Sarjapur Road Fire Station to Iblur junction was made a no right turn zone - no break in the median for about a kilometre or so. This was done to ease traffic hotspots elsewhere and it HAS served its purpose. The side effect however, given our…

Google to help Bengaluru police manage traffic better: "A team of officials from Google and the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) are developing a custom-made ‘Traffic analyser app’ for the traffic police, which will help in congestion management, benefiting the general public," said R. Hitendra, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), to The Hindu. Rooftop restaurants already shutting shop: A number of rooftop pubs, bars and restaurants have complied with the orders of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to close down their establishments. They had been found operating without trade licenses. About 135 establishments had been given a week’s…

The death of 19-year-old Sanjay Aditya Giri on November 29th, as he was crossing the Outer Ring Road at Bellandur isn’t a one-off tragedy. It is an everyday reality for people who have chosen to live on that stretch.  On December 6th, residents of the neighbourhood plan a human chain to demand skywalks on what is one of Bengaluru’s busiest roads. Skywalks and better pedestrian facilities are not a new demand. In 2015, just before the BBMP elections, citizens met with candidates, including Asha Suresh who won the elections, as well as the Mahadevpura MLA Arvind Limbavali to request for…