Commute

I was tickled to see these two jostling for space on the roads of Bangalore... An auto and an automobile. Life is full of highs and lows, all existing together!

My write up last week attempted to quell some of the qualms one might have had about cycling to work in Bengaluru. In this sequel, we discuss some of the practical aspects. Okay, I am convinced - what do I do next ? 1. Visit a bike shop. There are a number of bike shops in Bangalore where you can get good quality bikes. Among the shops are: Decathlon - www.decathlon.in - Sarjapur Road - White field - Mysore Road. Pro Cycle - www.procycle.in - Indiranagar Bums on the Saddle - www.bumsonthesaddle.com - Jaynagar. They have recently opened a branch…

Following the unfortunate death of a yet another person as a result of the potholes on the road, citizens expect that someone is held accountable. This time, the victim was a three-year-old child. She was on a bike with her uncle and mother, when her uncle lost control of the vehicle on hitting a pothole. The child fell off the bike and was hit by an oncoming lorry. According to eyewitnesses, the road was choc-a-bloc with traffic as usual. There was a family of three on a bike - a man, a pregnant woman and a three-year-old child. A lorry…

Cycling has been quite a bit in the news lately, thanks to the activities of several individuals and organisations trying their best to popularise cycling. I often cycle to work - so I though I would write about my experience and perhaps dispel some of the myths associated with cycle commuting. Ramesh Sreekantan, a cycling enthusiast. I live in Malleshwaram and work in Kengeri. So it's a distance of about 15 to 20 kms, depending on the route. The route I take is down Chord Road to Nayandahalli main road and in to the University campus. I usually return via…

  Drive it with flowers! Sometimes, the appearance seems to be more important than safety on our roads. I saw several autos, vans and cars bedecked with flowers in this way, on the eve of Bali Padyami. How the drivers of such vehicles can drive safely is beyond me. While such festive displays make for quaint, National-Geographic-type of photography, how is it that the traffic police look the other way when road safety is so blatantly compromised?    

BBMP had initiated the road work, and volunteers started monitoring it, but the work has stopped now. File pic. Citizen Matters had reported about the BWRCA-led road repair initiation in Kadugodi-Hosakote road. Even as the residents were euphoric about their small victory, everything has gone for a toss again. The work that took off two weeks ago has not been moving forward. The reason: potholes are not small enough to fit the ward level budget. On persistent pressure by members of Bruhat Whitefield Residents Community Association, repair work of potholes took off at the Kadugodi ward level. But hardly after…

Bengaluru kicked off the Cycle Day campaign with its first event, Feel Bengaluru Cycle Day today morning at Cubbon Park. With close to 1200 cyclists in attendance, the Mayor of our city opened the event by ceremonial inauguration of a new cycle stand at Cubbon Park. He then led all the cyclists off on a 1-km ceremonial kick off ride till the Central Library. After this, all the cyclists rode together on a 5-km rally around Cubbon Park touching several heritage spots along the way. It was a great sight as 1200 cyclists went around Cubbon Park, on Kasturba road,…

When the clocks hit 10 on the Saturday, October 26, 2013, residents of Thubarahalli near Whitefield  in Bengaluru left their chores and stepped out in the hot sun. No slogans, no banners or hoardings. It was a sheer, peaceful Satyagraha - the Gandhian way of protesting, to draw the attention of the government towards the much-needed, but never sanctioned road at Thubarahalli. Residents of Thubarahalli Vibgyor School area protesting peacefully by forming a human chain. Pic: Nikita Malusare The buildings along the road wore the same mud which the road is made up of.  Tough the recent rains have washed…

The mud road battered by rains makes it dangerous to commute on this stretch. Pic: Javed Ahmad Citizens of the Thubarahalli area near Varthur in Bengaluru, frustrated by the slippery mud road and traffic jams, will hold a peaceful protest on October 26, 2013, to draw attention to the terrible state of affairs. Cars, trucks, buses, two-wheelers and cyclists get stuck in a chaotic frenzy here during their daily commute. Two international schools are located on this road. There are around 12 big apartments in this area, and a 13th one is getting ready. Over 150 school buses and over…

Construction activities continue to encroach the drain that goes to Bellandur lake. Pic: Nikita Malusare The High Court of Karnataka on Monday, October 21, 2013, accepted the Public Interest Litigation against the Mantri developers and Coremind Software and Services along with other nine government departments. A bench comprising Justice K L Manjunath and Justice H S Kempanna directed that the defendants be served notices. Namma Bengaluru Foundation and Citizen Action Forum along with many resident welfare associations in and around Agara lake in south Bengaluru had filed a Public Interest Litigation (Writ Petition 36574/ 2013) on the Special Economic Zone…