Commute

After the sudden threat posed by the propsed re-alignment of the Metro Rail track along Bannerghatta Road, homeowners suddenly were threatened with the destruction of their homes.  When it was a matter of road-widening, we were able to protest at the chopping down of trees and the increase in traffic; but now, the Government can say that it is developing public transportation and this is for our own good.   After a storm of protests, the proposed re-alignment has been halted...for the time being. But there is no guarantee that our Government will not suddenly start the process again, and…

Pavan, a Bangalore-based sales professional in a company working as regional manager for India, needs to travel frequently to other cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Pune. If he has to catch the early morning flight to Delhi, he needs to reach the airport at 5.15am, which is not easy. There are limited number of buses at that hour; waiting for them is not a wise thing. Pavan has an easy solution: Book a cab to the airport the previous day. Shekhar Mahadev, a software engineer working in Bangalore, says, “I have to keep making a lot of trips to…

“Everyone should claim the city. What’s happening today is an outcome of many interactions between citizens. We need a collective and shared understanding of things” said Dr H S Sudhira, referring to the present situation of ‘commons’ in Bangalore in the Public Discussion Series organised by Hasiru Usiru, at the Alternative Law Forum on 18 May 2013. The talk titled 'Re-imagining Bangalore: Transcending the ‘Tragedy of Commons’ was moderated by Vinay K Sreenivas, Researcher, Alternative Law Forum and a volunteer for Hasiru Usiru. The audience voicing out their opinions. Pic: Nalme Nachiyar In the process of its evolution, the city has…

Amarjyothi layout, Domlur is supposed to be a very posh locality situated in one of the most busy parts of Bengaluru. There are over 500 sites spread almost equally on either side of the intermediate Ring Road from Indira Nagar to Koramangala south of the old Airport Road. Both the east and west wings of the layout are also neighbouring some of the most sought after landmarks in Bangalore. The east wing is surrounded by the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) and Royal Orchid hotel on one side and the Embassy Golf Links Business Park that houses some of the world's…

The space beyond Wipro's corporate office in Sarjapur has been projected as the new Whitefield of Bangalore. There are many real estate development projects on the Sarjapur-Attibele road which is under the Sarjapura Gram Panchayat and Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA). As a resident of the area since August 2012, I have been told that real estate developers or builders, started advertising their plans from the late 1990's or early 2000. These developers vie with each other to portray how big they are and dangle the list of amenities in newly constructed or upcoming buildings, on large hoardings across…

Pedestrians are at risk while crossing busy roads where traffic is moving very fast. The BBMP has provided a defective and badly designed pedestrian subway at Chalukya circle and a pedestrian elevated bridge near Sophias' High School on Palace road. The purpose of providing this pedestrian subway is to help students to cross the main road. But children are not using the subway as it is ventilated poorly, filthy, not maintained and risky. The gates of the pedestrian subway are often locked. The elevated bridge near Sophias' High School, also provided by the BBMP, to cross the main road is…

As pedestrians we have been facing the problem of walking safely on Bangalore's roads using footpaths or pavements they are supposed to be meant for us. But, in reality, footpaths are the most dangerous places to set our foot on if at all we can do so. Most of the time, putting the foot down on the footpath has resulted in a sprained ankle or a broken foot. It is a common sight to see footpaths being reconstructed. Every time this takes place, the footpath is raised above the road level to almost a foot high in some places. It…

Devranjan is a tailor employed at a small shop on Brigade Road who gets paid Rs. 200 on a daily basis. He lives on Hosur Road and travels to Brigade Road every day for work, shelling out between Rs. 35-40 every day. As there are no direct buses to his place, he needs to switch between buses every day. This clearly shows that Devranjan spends at least 17 per cent of his monthly income on commuting to and from his workplace. He is one among the many who face the wrath of expensive public transport in Bangalore. Connectivity between buses…

Recently I ventured into the RTO office at Bhattarahalli, K R Puram, to renew my driving licence (DL). Using the Citizen Matters guide and BMTCinfo.com, I figured the bus routes from Mayo Hall. I reached the office, which is 6 km from KR Puram Railway/bus station, in little over an hour. I went with a lot of optimism, as I had heard things had gotten streamlined and 'clean'. I was armed with the Form 9 that I had downloaded from the RTO site and filled. When I reached the office, I saw several agents hovering at the entrance, whom I…

"I want a Bangalore, where a child and an elderly person can both feel safe while crossing the road", proclaimed esteemed Kannada writer, Sri Ananthamurthy, at the recent Bangalore Literature Festival, 2012. Much more than a reputed author and social commentator, this distinguished gentleman has driven home the point about our city's warped road sensibility. However, these words of wisdom from a celebrated old guru, is something that Bangalore apparently is least inclined to heed.In this modern burgeoning city and India's fifth largest metropolis, the chances of a pedestrian crossing the street without being knocked down are looking progressively bleak.…