Commute

About 30 years ago, one of my colleagues was transferred to Calcutta. A year later he came to his hometown on a holiday and it was shocking to hear his experience about the notorious traffic jams of Calcutta. Sitting in the peaceful and slow city of Bangalore we could not envisage those serious traffic jams. But then, we had no clue that we would be experiencing such jams right here very soon! Pictures of a beautiful bungalow from different angle Pic: Sudha Narasimhachar.When I used to go to work on MG Road then, I used to leave home (Yelahanka Satellite…

Behind the chaos that people associate the place with, Kalasipalaya is actually a well laid out grid of streets between SJP Road, Kalasipalaya Bus Stand, VV Puram and Double Roads. The location is perfect to cater to the large 'Market' area with perishable goods like vegetables and industrial supplies. That's the reason; you will find the offices and warehouses of every major trucking company in India in Kalasipalaya. But if you are a trucker, Kalasipalaya provides the perfect pit stop. After a long drive, you have places for the truckers to wash and change. Taste Punjabi food at its dhabbas…

  Beautiful RoadsPathetic condition of BDA approved layout Upadhaya layout, Nagadevanahalli, Kengeri Hobli with 319 sites was approved by BDA five years back (vide Res No 145/2004 dt. 29-05-2004, Extent 28A-27G as per information available in BDA website). The roads have never been asphalted till date. Crimes have started during night in absence of street lights. How much time do the tax payers have to wait for basic amenities??? ⊕

Jayanagar, near the Ashoka Pillar, has an avenue (an avenue, by definition, is a tree-lined street), filled with, among other trees, Sausage Trees .This is the time when the tree bears both flowers and fruits, and incredibly striking they are, too.Here's a flower and a bud:Here are some flowers, hanging down on their stalks:And these are what the fruits look like:The city planners planted such beautiful trees in the past, today's officials are only thinking of cutting them down for "economic growth" and to ensure more vehicles can stuff up the barren, sterile roads without footpaths or trees....Is it any…

It’s just a few months since the Bangalore International Airport began functioning, and already a race is on among various service providers to transport air travellers to the airport. Initial apprehensions about the airport being not approachable has led to the sprouting of various businesses to resolve the problem. A Vayu Vajra Bus (Volvo) waiting to start its journey on the BIAL route. Pic: Supriya Khandekar. The services available to reach the airport are in a range to fit all pockets. On one hand is the BMTC’s BIAL Volvo bus service that claims to offer the cheapest ride. On the…

With regard to the tree-felling and road-widening that is happening now.....we are against *indiscriminate* use of this facility, that's all. The point is, that cutting down trees is irreversible, so what we are saying is, involve the citizens in this decision-making process, and let us cut down trees ONLY when there is no other solution.The High Court of Karnataka has given a decision that the BBMP authorities must include the citizens' forum, Hasiru Usiru, in its deliberations and only take decisions on tree-felling and road-widening that complies with the Town and Rural Planning Act. Right now, this is not being…

Let me at the outset say that I am as against noise pollution as other concerned souls like Huda Masood and Bala Venkata. Heck, I don't even listen to loud music. But on the roads, it's another story. I have been riding/driving on the roads for many many years. Traffic has obviously increased. And conversely road sense has decreased. A while back, I was driving at a sedate pace . A man was closing a conversation with his friend and walking away. He continued walking right into my path, still looking back at his friend. I hadn't honked since I…

I have taken up a project to educate people about "Road Rage". The possibility of this project is to save people's lives on the road.When two vehicles collide with each other, what is our first reaction? Our first reaction usually tends to be to abuse the other party and the one who is provoked tends to get into a fist fight with the other party which can sometimes be fatal. Lakshman K, # B 11, Tallam Residency, Serpentine road, Kumara Park west, Bangalore - 560020 Contact Number 9845249184An example of this is of the ex-cricketer Navjoth Singh Siddhu who was…

Prasun Bandyopadhyay is 35 and a senior scientist at a major multinational firm in the rapidly developing Whitefield area of Bangalore. He and his wife Punam, also a scientist, have two children and they live across the Whitefield Railway Station, in north-eastern Bangalore, beyond the Sai Baba Ashram. This is the extended Marathahalli-Whitefield road that goes north to intersect the Hosakote/Kolar highway. A number of private residential layouts have mushroomed here over the last few years. A whole host of young, as well as middle-aged professionals have started settling down here. The Bandyopadhyay couple, like many of their fellow-residents are…