Commute

Most of us would be surprised to know that Chennai’s is the oldest city Corporation in Asia, only behind London in the world. It is also interesting to note that Chennai’s suburban Railways was started as early as 1931 to bridge the northern and southern parts of the city. Since independence, the Chennai suburban transportation system has been operated by Southern Railways, the oldest operating zone in independent India. Suburban railways has evolved as an arterial system for transportation in Chennai and  handles 17,60,000 people per day.  Yet, as the commuter load increased a critical gap began to be felt…

At certain places in the city, I've seen boards that say Gas Authority of India (GAIL) is providing piped cooking gas to residences, so digging is being done. But at many other places, wholesale digging of roads and lanes is going on without any explanation at all. On one small lane (40thA Cross, leading to 18th Main, Jayanagar 4th T Block), as I walked, I counted...yes...25 across-the-road cuts, with a trench having been dug along the length of the lane on one side, too. No boards,no explanations, no names of the agencies involved, no date of completion mentioned. The problem…

There’s a new sound enlivening the streets of the busy, populous city of Mysuru in southern Karnataka, and it goes ‘Trin-Trin’. The city recently launched the country’s first city-wide public bicycle sharing system (PBS) under a project jointly funded by the World Bank, the Global Environmental Fund (GEF), the Mysuru City Corporation and the state directorate of urban land transport, better known as DULT. Branded ‘Trin-Trin - Pedal with Pride’, the initiative sports a dense network of hubs consisting of bicycles, which individuals can share on a short term easy-rental basis. The Mysuru City Corporation owns and maintains the bicycles,…

The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has launched the much-awaited Smart Card to the bus commuters in the city. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launched the Smart Card and also inaugurated hi-tech buses and renovated foot-over bridge at Kempegowda Bus Station on June 17th. BMTC’s Smart Card has been launched in order to facilitate cashless transaction in purchasing ticket and passes. It intends to implement Smart Card based fare collection system. For this it has planned to implement a new method called Open Loop Smart Card based fare collection system in its services. This type of Smart Card is the first of…

Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation is commencing the issue of Student Concessional Bus Pass for the year 2017-18 through pre-printed card and newly introduced Smart Card.  The smart card and pre printed passes are simultaneously issued by BMTC for the smooth and hassle-free issuance of passes for the students of Primary, High School and PUC grades. The Pre printed passes will be issued from 12 June 2017 and Smart card from 17 June 2017 onwards. Students who have availed  the pre printed passes have to switchover to smart cards compulsorily, between 01 Aug 2017 to 30 Sep 2017 at the BMTC…

As the last stretch of Bengaluru Metro’s Phase I nears completion, there are high hopes that the city’s commuting woes may finally be eased. With a Phase I network covering 42km and 40 stations, Namma Metro is the second longest operational metro system in the country, after Delhi’s. Work on the 72.1km Phase II has already begun. What now remains to be addressed is the mobility transition that needs to occur among urban commuters - away from a growing trend of private vehicle use towards modes of public and shared transport. Part of the solution lies in enabling end-to-end transportation…

In many places in the city, I find signs like this, claiming public space for private, reserved parking. I had brought it to the notice of Corporation Bank on 1st Main, J P Nagar 3rd Phase, and they removed the signs. People who run establishments must be made aware that such reservation is illegal.    

At least this dug up part of Bannerghatta Road mentions that natural gas pipelines are being laid.   But in most places, roads are dug up without warning and with no information about why the surface is being broken up. Nor does the road get any re-surfacing once the digging has been covered up, resulting in bumpy, muddy paths rather than the roads that we are paying taxes for. When is the BBMP going to be accountable for the damage they cause, without reparation?

The Kengeri Satellite Town adjacent to Mysore Road is now a busy township. Kommaghatta road is one of the major roads in this area. It connects this region with Tavarakere in Magadi Road. If you go along this road, or on any of the adjoining roads, past NICE road, you will see the latest site development project of BDA called Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda Layout. Look a little deeper, and you will see that it is an environmental disaster in the making. Pic: B V Rajarama Bhat This has been a green belt providing valuable oxygen supply to the city and it is…