Commute

Accessible public transport has been a long-pending demand from disability activists across the country.  Our repeated efforts have resulted in some progress but there’s still a long way to go for affordable public transport to be inclusive.  In the case of Chennai, the long struggle to ensure the procurement of low-floor, accessible buses has been an issue that has reflected the treatment of those with disabilities in the public sphere. Experience with inaccessible buses in Chennai My own experience attempting to use buses in Chennai as a person with disabilities has been harrowing.  I had a fall out of a…

Bengaluru's infamous traffic jams have been the subject of much discussion for over a decade. With the roads burdened with vehicles beyond its capacity, traffic congestion has increased as the city itself has expanded. Last year, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said his government's priority is to ease traffic. To ensure better traffic management, M A Saleem, IPS, was brought back to head the Bengaluru Traffic Police as Special Commissioner of Police, Traffic, in November 2022. He is a 1993-batch IPS officer who has a PhD in traffic management. In his previous stints with the Bengaluru Traffic Department, M A Saleem…

The recently inaugurated Sir M. Vishveshwaraya Station in Bengaluru (SMVB) is almost always described as the “airport”-like railway station. The South Western Railways (SWR) drew inspiration from the Kempegowda International Airport in the design and aesthetics of the city’s third coaching terminal (the beginning and final points for trains). Perhaps pleased with the outcome, SWR has now announced that the Krantiveera Sangoli Rayanna City Station (KSR), Yeshwantpur and Cantonment would also be revamped in a similar style. But do we need more airport-like railway stations? Especially considering how much time these revamps have taken so far, what should SWR’s priorities…

Translated by Sandhya Raju “அதிகரித்து  வரும் பெட்ரோல் விலை, எலக்ட்ரிக் பைக்கை வாங்க தூண்டியது: என்கிறார் சென்னையில் வசிக்கும் வி ஆகாஷ். இவர் ஏதர் 450X எலக்ட்ரிக் பைக் உபயோக்கிறார்.  இதே காரணத்தை பகிரும் எஸ் கௌஷிக், ஹீரோ எலக்ட்ரிக் ஆப்டிமா HX பைக்கை உபோயக்கிறார். “புதிதாக முயற்சி செய்ய வேண்டும் என நினைத்தேன்.மேலும் இதற்கான மானியம் இதன் விலையை கட்டுப்படியாக்கியது. கடந்த வருடம் நான் இந்த பைக்கை வாங்கிய போது ₹40,000 முதல் ₹45,000 வரை தள்ளுபடி கிடைத்தது.” என்றார். EV வண்டியை வாங்கும் பலர் பெட்ரோல் உயர்வே உந்துதலாக அமைந்ததாக கூறுகின்றனர். “பராமரிப்பு செலவு இல்லை. முறையாக பராமரித்தால் பெட்ரோல் வண்டி போல் அடிக்கடி செர்வீஸ் செய்ய வேண்டியதில்லை, எனக் கூறும் ஆகாஷ், இதில் உள்ல கூகிள் மேப் கூடுதல் பயனளிப்பதாக கூறுகிறார். எலக்ட்ரிக் பைக்கிற்கு மாற சேமிப்பு ஒரு பெரும் காரணமாக உள்ளதால், இதன் பயன்பாட்டை…

Around 10 lakh people use the Thane railway station, bringing massive footfall to the vicinity. However, reaching the station has become a headache for commuters, as all roads leading to the station have heavy traffic. The roads leading up to the station are part of a busy, bustling market with shops selling daily necessities and vegetable vendors selling their wares on the roadside. This 1.2-kilometre stretch is used by buses, autos and private vehicles to ply to and from the railway station. Travelling by this road takes around 20-30 minutes, thanks to the road being packed with vehicles and hawkers. People have to…

In 2022, the South Western Railways (SWR) announced that the agency would undertake a complete revamp of the two main coaching terminals (the beginning and final points for trains), Krantiveera Sangoli Rayanna (KSR) and Yeshwantpur railway station, as well as the Cantonment Railway station, a major boarding point for several trains. The stations would be modelled after the Sir M. Vishveshwaraya Terminal (SMVB) inaugurated in June 2022. The announcements repeatedly emphasise that these railway stations are going to be transformed into airport-like terminals. Delayed promises But airports take time and if SMVB is anything to go by, three airport-like railway…

While the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited is committed to expanding its network across the city, lack of affordable access to its stations remains a stumbling block for authorities and commuters alike. As per reports, BMRCL is in the process of extending the green line to Challaghatta and Madavarsa (BIEC) and land acquisition is underway for the pink line (part of Phase 2), which is proposed to run from Kalena Agrahara (formerly Gottigere) to Nagawara. The lack of last-mile connectivity in the city, coupled with erratic schedules and insufficient buses of BMTC, often compel commuters to resort to booking an…

As station after station is built along the nearly 119 kilometres of Namma Metro under Phase 2, it is crucial to review the design of the existing infrastructure and analyse it through the lens of inclusivity and accessibility.  Any city comprises a diverse group of people with varying needs, and all public infrastructure must cater to different user groups such as persons with disabilities(PwD), trans persons, the elderly, parents with young children, etc.  The Metro Rail policy 2017, a central level policy that has to be adhered to at the state level, lays down guidelines requiring Metro infrastructure to ensure…

"Rising petrol prices motivated me to buy an electric two-wheeler in Chennai," says V Akash, who rides an Ather 450X electric scooter. S Kaushik, who owns a Hero Electric Optima HX scooter, has a similar tale to narrate. "I wanted to try something new. Plus, the subsidy also substantially lowered the cost, making it a very viable option. There was a discount of around Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 45,000 when I bought my scooter last year," he says. Many electric two-wheeler users have almost the same motivation for buying an EV. "There is hardly any maintenance cost. We do not…

Shakuntala (61) is a domestic worker in Mumbai's Lower Parel where she takes up jobs in and around the area and travels in BEST buses. On the rare days when she cannot afford the tedious task of waiting at a bus stop, she chooses the luxury of a kaali peeli taxi. Shakuntala was surprised to find out that the city's traffic police are now imposing fines of Rs 200 if all the passengers in a car fail to wear a seatbelt. "I travel short distances, my commute is limited from home to work and back I don't know about all of this," she…