Commute

A few days ago I was at a junction where the traffic signal wasn't working and cops were not to be seen. All hell had broken loose and there were vehicles turning in every direction, as a result of which no one was moving. Tempers were rising and honking crossing all known limits of sound pollution. I was right at the front and seeing the mayhem ahead I tried to stay put, in order to not add to the utter confusion ahead of me. A few sensible drivers stood by too. Illustration: Narasimha Vedala But as usual there was one…

Auto rickshaws are a key option for private transport in Bangalore. * There are more than 1 lakh registered autos in the city. * Number of Auto rickshaw's = 100,000 * Min turnover per auto/per day = Rs.600 * Total turnover per day 100000*600 = Rs 6 crores * Total turnover per year = Rs.2160 crores Going by this, the minimum turn over is Rs.2160 crores per year. At a profit margin of 30-40%, it is amounting to nearly Rs.700 crores. This is a big business, and there are more than 20 unions but it does not have a users forum…

At a recent meet to discuss the loss of heritage in Whitefield to road-widening , residents of the locality spoke out against the BBMP's plans. About a hundred people attended the meeting which was organised on August 5th by the Bangalore Chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) in association with residents of Whitefield. About 100 citizens attended the public meeting in Whitefield to frame plans to protect the area's heritage. Pic courtesy: INTACH The meeting began with a short presentation about the history of Whitefield by conservation architect and INTACH member Krupa Rajangam. She…

Came across an article about the worsening traffic situation in India. Badly planned roads, overstretched traffic police, violators get away easy, explosion in vehicle population, and a flood of untrained drivers all contribute to the problem. Wait! There is one more reason; there are a set of unwritten rules that are passed on from driver to driver in the great oral tradition of India! Since this tradition is oral, there is ample scope for misinterpretation and consequent goof-ups on the road. The other unique aspect about these rules is that they don't have to be consistently followed, just understood and…

click here to print revised fare click here On August 1, new auto fares came into effect in the city, with the minimum fare being Rs 17 and an extra Rs 9 for every additional kilometer. The previous revision of fares was in February 2008, when the minimum fare was increased from Rs 12 to Rs 14, and the charge per extra kilometre was increased from Rs 6 to Rs 7. The factor of increase for the new fare is 1.28 (9/7). So to calculate the approximate new fare, the thumb rule is to multiply the old fare with 1.28.…

It doesn't take a genius to figure out the reasons behind traffic congestion.  First, a sincere round of applause for all commuters who despite lack of traffic signals at most intersections manage to peacefully negotiate and reach their destinations. People do follow directions as is evident when there is a police officer on the road (trying to do his/her best). This shows that we are very accommodating by nature but we are also deeply frustrated from long delays and a system that does not reward good drivers. Here are some obvious problems seen on the road daily: Pedestrians strolling on…

We take the BTM Layout-Silk Board route everyday. In the evenings at around 6.30 pm on BTM Layout, you can find huge private buses that ply between cities parked on to the left side of the road occupying one lane completely. This causes a traffic jam and slows the traffic considerably. BTM Layout already has its own traffic woes because it has Electronics City commuters as well Whitefield commuters taking the road.Similarly JP nagar as well as BTM Layout has quite a number of individual houses. These residents do not have parking speces in their own houses and simply park their…

Nearly two weeks ago, a major chokepoint in city's north-eastern fringes was eliminated when citizens starting driving over the Whitefield-Kadugodi railway overbridge. The bridge connects the Kadugodi-Seegehalli-Kannamangala area north of the Whitefield Railway Station with the rest of Bengaluru city. After wait of nearly four years and a particularly excruciating two years, the clean, well-done road with bridge bounding walls nicely painted seems like a heaven-slapped fast lane for weary motorists here. It now takes only a minute to cross over what has been a 20-40 minutes detour, leading to an extra hour of road-time every day for most people…

The law says that helmets are compulsory, and that one should not drive a two-wheeler without a helmet.These gentlemen are totally law-abiding...they have not one helmet, but two!I'm sure they feel that their heads (and the brains inside them) are totally protected in case of an accident. ⊕

Many of you would have noticed the Iblur flyover opened yesterday. The Forward150 federation, Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA) is working with the traffic police to improve the traffic at the junction.The road leading to Bellandur from Iblur is being cleared and the diversions removed in a weeks time. Vehicles plying from Bellandur towards Iblur need to go on top of the flyover and land at Iblur village cross, vehicles plying from Bellandur towards Sarjapur need to take the left lane/service road before the flyover and turn left.Haphazard parking is a big problem, especially on the roads near Bellandur…